The Newborn – The Honey Grey story
by grpruett
Summary: Post Breaking Dawn. Not all of the Volturis’ witnesses had left Forks. The Cullens and the two packs are doing what they can to keep the area safe from them; however, they aren’t always completely successful.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N1 The Twilight series belongs to Stephenie Meyer and was published by Little, Brown. I don't have any rights to the stories**

**A/N2 This is my first story written in a first person perspective. After reading the series I felt that it was fitting to write this in the first person. Hopefully I didn't too badly of a job. **

_Italic print is mind-reading thoughts_

* * *

"What now?!" I uttered out to no one. I was alone driving through Forks, Washington while on my way back to college for another boring semester. It had snow here in Forks several times during the past couple of weeks. Except for the shoulder of the road, the roads were clear… mostly, but off the roads, there were five inches or more of snow.

This trip should've only taken me a couple of days tops even with driving appropriately for the road conditions, which included an eight-hour rest stop just before Forks, but because of my navy blue ten-year-old Ford Escort acting up I'm behind by a few hours. This time I heard something snap, and then all of the important dash lights came on along with the steering being overly stiff. My oldest brother Michael was the family mechanic. Well, I do know a little bit about cars… Michael's idea for me to learn not mine, and this time I'm thinking it was one of the belts that snapped.

"Damn you, you piece of shit," I hissed to the car as it came to a rest on the snow-covered shoulder. I just recently had my nails done and I was hoping that they would last a little longer before I did something to break them. Well, at least I was wearing an old pair of blue jeans; a sweater, which was covered by my light tan winter coat, and winter boots and not a dress and high-heals. Of course a dress wouldn't go good with the thermal pajamas that I was also wearing underneath it all. Why did I have to leave my gloves somewhere along the way?

While letting out a sigh, I shut off the engine. I didn't bother to take the key from the ignition as I reached for the hood release. Once I heard and saw the hood pop up to the first catch, I opened the door.

"Brrr," I let out through my chattering teeth while flinching as the cold January air came at me full force. It must have dropped twenty degrees since I left the hotel about three hours ago.

I pulled my left foot from the car and as I put it on the ground it crunched through five inches of snow. Great! At least it wasn't snowing at the moment… but judging from the scary looking cloud-filled-sky that could change without a moments notice. 2:28 P.M right now and it might as well be dusk

Once I was out of the car, I automatically hit the lock without really thinking that I should or shouldn't and shut the door.

I waded through the snow to the front of my car, lifted the hood and put the hood support in place.

I blew into my hands to warm them up as I started looking over the engine, and it didn't take too long.

"I knew I broke a belt." I broke the main belt in fact; the belt that ran all the other pulleys and belts. I then got a whiff of something that reminded me of when I accidentally stepped in dog shit. I instinctively looked at the bottom of my shoes first and when I didn't see anything, I looked around. Again it didn't take very long to find the source.

There was a fresh or semi-fresh pile of shit five feet from the passenger's side of the car. The large size of the pile and the large paw prints in and around it suggested…

"Oh shit!" I uttered out as I twist my head in every direction while looking for what mammoth animal that had shit recently.

Except for the road that I was on there were snow-covered trees in every direction. More paw prints of some large animal were also in every direction. As to how many paw prints there were, there had to be more than one animal. Also, left, ninety degrees from the front end of my car, I could see an odd color smoke rising above the trees and mixing with the low hanging clouds.

In spite of the presence of the paw prints, there were no animals in sight; however, my first pass in every direction didn't satisfy me and I continued to rapidly look around in every direction as I hurried back to the driver's door. I felt my way to the handle of the driver's door, and when the door didn't opened when I yanked on the handle my heart started to pound as I panicked.

"No!" My head twisted around and I peered through the car window of the driver's door. There it was. My key's in the ignition and every car door was locked. And yep, my purse with my cell phone in it was sitting on the passenger's seat, just where I left it. "Shit! Shit! Shit!"

My eyes went quickly to the ground. Yeah, right; as if I'm going to find a big enough rock under all this snow that would break out one of my windows. I then turned towards the smoke that I saw earlier. "Where there's smoke, there's fire and where there's fire, there has to be someone who had created it." At least I hope my logic held true.

I then looked around in every direction again before I took off towards the smoke. I was walking through the trees for only a short time when I realized that the snow was deeper in the woods; it was barely below my knees… and great! I could barely feel my feet now. Well, if I have to wade through this, I might as well make the best out of a bad situation.

I cleared my throat to ready my singing voice and I let it go, "Over the river and through the woods to grandfather's house we go. The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh, through the white and drifted snow, oh…"

I was starting the song again for the fifth time when he came into view. I'm five-foot six with the weight of one hundred and twenty pounds. He was a few inches taller than me, so I was guessing five-eleven… give-or-take an inch, and he looked as though that he could be at least one hundred and eighty pounds. He was dressed for the casual cool weather with his albino skin at his face, neck, and hands exposed, and his chocolate brown hair cropped short. My face and hands were exposed too, but I was numbingly cold and he looked as if he was comfortable. Plus my neck was somewhat covered by my long deep-black hair.

He smiled greedily at me. I didn't know if it was the cold, his perfect smile or his dark circled eyes—eyes that made him look as though he hadn't slept in weeks—that ran a chill through my spine.

His walk was more of a float and as he came towards me, I took note that he was the most hansom man I've seen in my life, and for some strange reason I felt the sudden urge to flee for my life… which was stupid. I came out here looking for someone and someone was what I found. However, this someone was making my dark skin turned as white as he was… well my skin wasn't really all that dark; not in comparison to how dark my African-America father's skin was. Of course I'm still darker than my white mom; no matter how many times she went to the tanning salon.

"Hello," I squeaked out. Okay if my face wasn't showing him my fear, that certainly told him. I then cleared my throat and took a better breath before I started again. "Hello. Err, my car broke down on the road and stupid me locked my keys and cell phone in the car. Can you help me?"

"I will do my best."

His accent was Italian, I'm sure of it. Everything about it reminded me of Raymond… my roommate's boyfriends when he exercised his excellent singing voice. Ray was from a small town in Italy… a town that I could never remember the name of. This person wasn't singing though.

"You from Italy, aren't you?" I asked before I realized that I did.

Again he flashed his perfect smile before confirming, "I am. My name is Fabian. And you are?"

"Honey. Honey Grey. Hey, aren't you cold?"

"The cold doesn't bother me, Honey Grey." Fabian then gestured towards my footsteps in the snow, which had shown the way to my car, but before he said anything he swung his head around as if he heard something disturbing.

I followed his gaze before asking, "What is it?"

He said something under his breath that sounded almost like, 'Damn, werewolves.' Werewolves? Obviously I didn't hear right.

"What? I didn't catch that."

I was looking curiously at him one second and then the next second, I was on my back in the snow and Fabian had his teeth sunk into the bare skin at my throat. The second after that, monstrous size dogs knocked Fabian off of me.

With my hand over my gaping wound so the blood wouldn't gush out, I looked over at the sight. Four very large dogs were ripping Fabian from limp to limp. The sounds of him being ripped apart didn't match the sight that I was seeing. It sounded like ripping metal.

I scrambled to my feet while trying to keep pressure on my neck. It burned. Why would it burn? I went through the deep snow as fast as I could and in the direction of my car. I fell at least every third step and I was praying that these monstrous dogs didn't get bored with Fabian. However, it didn't really matter how far I could get from these dogs. The blood trail that I was leaving behind was making it impossible for me to hide from them, and I'm sure that my fast-pace rhythmic heart was making my wound bleed even more than what it would have if my heart was beating at a normal rhythm.

The burning pain then got worse and it was now in my chest, my upper arms and my lower face as well as my throat. Why was it spreading?

When I fell for the twentieth time I didn't get back onto my feet; in fact I deeply buried myself faced down within the snow in order to put out this flameless fire that was raging and spreading out of control.

The burning increased rather than decrease, and it was now in my torso, my arms and my entire face. I screamed out; my scream was muffled slightly by the snow though. Suddenly, my right arm just below my shoulder was grabbed within a vise-like grip. Oh god, the monstrous dogs were done with Fabian and were still hungry. Hopefully death would come quickly with these dogs than the slow roasting torture that this flameless fire was doing.

"She was bit," a voice said as I was being pulled over onto my back. "The venom is in her system. It's too late."

"Don't…" I weakly gasped before losing my breath. My eyes were so badly blurred. I couldn't see who were here or how many. If they moved me from this snow, no doubt that this flameless fire will consume me.

"Don't?" another voice echoed as a question.

"She doesn't want to be move," the first voice told the second voice. "She's burning and she fears that the burning will get worse if we move her from the snow."

"The snow won't make any different at this point," the second man said while inches from my ear. So I assumed that he was talking to me. Something was then jabbed into my arm. "I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen. I have just given you a sedative."

"Doctor," I again weakly gasped

"Shsh, don't try to speak," Carlisle told me. "It will be alright. Save your strength."

"It burns," I whispered.

"Yes, it will for a while," Carlisle said honestly in a gentle voice. "I promise the burning will go away."

"When?" I muttered. It sounded incoherently even to myself.

"No time soon," Carlisle again said honestly and in the same gentle voice. "I'm sorry, but this burning that you feel will get worse before it gets better. But it will get better. I promise."

"When," I muttered again and in the same incoherent tone.

Carlisle sighed before he answered, "In three days." He then spoke to the other voice. "Edward, lift her into a sitting position so I can wrap her wound."

I felt myself being lifted. I wanted to assist the doctor myself so he could wrapped my wound, but my body felt heavy and when I tense my muscle the fire got worse. So I stopped trying. I laid their like a ragged doll while allowing them to put me into the position that they wanted me in.

'Mind over matter,' my mom told me more times than I can remember. Well mom I sure hope you're right, because mentally I don't want to be here.

I clenched my teeth tightly and I decided to revisit my past. I went back to the very first memory that I could remember. I was four years old and I very slowly moved forward from there. I didn't leave any small detail out no matter how painful or disturbing the memory was. In fact, none of my past pain was bad compared to this raging fire.

"How is she doing?" I heard Carlisle asking Edward as Carlisle wrapped my wound.

"She found an escape to it," Edward answered.

I barely heard his answer. I didn't know why he had said what he did and really I didn't care, but he was right… to a degree. Forcing my thoughts onto my past and not my present was helping. The pain was still there and getting worse, but I was slightly disconnected from it. I clenched my teeth even tighter and concentrated even harder on my past memories.

I very slowly went through year after year while trying to remember every last detail of my twenty-year-old life, which included song lyrics and movie plots.

During my first round of my life's history I was moved and then transported. I kept my eyes closed and I refused to think of anything else besides my memories so I could be in Seattle or even New York as far as I knew.

I finally reached the point of me meeting Fabian. I refused to think of what happened after we met, so I started at the age of four again while trying to remember any detail that I might've missed.

As I was going into my fourth round of my life's history, the feelings in my arms and legs had changed. The fire was dying out and receding. Was it over?

"It won't be much longer," Edward told me as if he was answering my unspoken questioned. "You're doing well, and it will be over shortly."

The fire continued to recede… not as rapidly as it came on, but receding nonetheless. It was now mainly in my throat and torso. It was beginning to feel like a worse case of heartburn that I had ever felt before. I wasn't sure how much longer I had to wait until the fire ended completely so I once again turn towards my memories. I restarted at the age of ten, but before I could reach the memories of my eighteenth birthday something went drastically wrong.

My heart sped up as if it was place into overdrive. Within seconds after that, I heard a loud thud as if an engine had just locked up from lack of oil and my throat burned as hard as it had burned before.

My eyes flew opened and I jerked to my feet while facing the occupants in the room. I didn't know why, but I was fighting mad. I wanted to rip someone's head off and if any one of the three men or that single woman who were staring at me comes forward I'll get what I want.

"We are your friends, Honey," Carlisle said in his gentle voice.

I recognized his voice from the woods and he either knew my name or… or he was just using a pet name for me. Either way it just made me angrier. My lips came up over my clenched teeth and a low growl rolled through my throat. The growl felt very natural somehow.

"We know who you are Honey Olivia Grey," Edward told me. I recognized his voice too from the woods and again he acted as if he was answering an unspoken question. And again this made me even angrier. My low growl was now directed towards Edward.

_Edward, go get Jasper_, A voice rang in my head.

I didn't know where that voice had come from, but again it didn't sit well with me. I once again growled, but to no one in general.

When Edward just stood staring in an awe at me, I heard the voice again, _Edward! Get Jasper!_

"She's hearing you, Carlisle," Edward told him. "She's a mind-reader like me?"

_She's a mind-reader? _Three voices rang in my head.

I grabbed my head between my hands as if that will keep out this intrusion. I was no mind-reader.

_You are_. A voice rang out in my head.

Why was I hearing strange voices in my head?

"You heard my voice," Edwards said while verbally answering my thoughts. "You're among friends, Honey Grey. I'm a mind-reader too."

I closed my eyes. What was happening to me?

"The man who you met in the woods was a vampire." My eyes flew opened again at Edward's answer. "His name was Fabian. He was going to feed off of you, but the wolves had stopped him."

I saw Edward inching his way closer to me and I growled for him to stay back. I would take his head off if he stepped any closer.

Edward stopped moving before he told me, "I'll keep as far away as you want me." I eyed him and the others suspiciously. Edward ignored my look and continued to say, "The wolves stopped Fabian from killing you, but you had received a good dose of his venom. You're no longer human. You're a vampire, and we too are vampires."

I snarled towards Edward and my growl was now deep and loud. By him calling me a vampire had made me even angrier.

_It's true, Honey. _A voice intruded my head again. It wasn't Edward's voice this time. I turned to look to see where the voice had come from. When I did, Carlisle repeated verbally in his gentile voice, "It's true."

As I was feeling like I could relax some, a petite woman with short hair and a man walked through the door… or danced through the door in the petite woman's case.

"Alice told me that she's awake," the new arriving man said while walking in.

My loud growl was directed at him now, but after a second my anger was quieting. But I didn't want it to be quiet so I focused on maintaining it. Suddenly a low growl came rolling out of the new arriving man's lips towards me.

"Jasper?!" Carlisle asked to the new arrival.

Jasper seemed a bit shocked from his own actions before saying, "I'm sorry, Carlisle. It was as if she projected her mood onto me rather than the other way around."

Suddenly a series of random images… or TV-like scenes flashed through my mind. I didn't recognize the images and I violently shook my head and growled as if I was going to shake these images from my head.

"What the?" I heard Edward muttered aloud before stopping himself. I didn't look at him. I was too busy trying to get these images from my head.

"What is it?" the first woman asked.

"Alice, leave the room," Edward ordered.

"What's going on?" the petite woman demanded to know.

"I'm not sure, but I do have theory," Edward told her. "To prove it though, I need you to leave the room."

My eyes were closed as I was still trying to shake these images from my head when the petite woman exited the room. Alice I assumed. I heard her footsteps stopping just outside the room.

"Further away, Alice," Edward called after her.

"Perhaps you want me to leave the house completely," Alice said as she walked away.

Within a short time the images had vanished and I reopened my eyes and deeply growled at no one in particular. These people… these vampires were doing this to me somehow.

"You don't have to go any farther, Alice," Edward said before speaking to me. "Honey, I'm sorry… we're sorry. We are doing this to you, but not on purpose."

"Edward?" Everyone in the room asked including Alice out in the hall. I just growled while daring someone… anyone to get within arm's length of me.

"She does have an ability, but it's not mind-reading," Edward explained to the others. "She's mimicking our abilities. If I leave the room and go stand by Alice, Honey wouldn't be able to hear anyone's thoughts."

"Fascinating," Carlisle said.

_I wonder if Bella could help her to speed passed her newborn phase, _Edward's voice rang in my head.

"Good idea," Alice called out from the hallway. "I see it working."

Suddenly I heard the buttons on a cell phone go lightning fast. Alice must be calling this Bella person.

"She is," Edward verbally answered me.

I growled at him and then flinched slightly from the burning of my throat. Was I irritating my already irritated throat?

"You're thirsty," Edward told me. "As like with all newborn vampires."

Water was the last thing I wanted.

"You're craving blood not water."

A slight smile came across my face. I had a short list of three people I would like to start with.

"The Cullen family drinks only animal blood though," Edward quickly added.

I heard the distinction in his voice. His family was unlike other vampires; unlike the vampire that had attacked me in the woods. Suddenly I realized that my anger was less than what it had been. I turned towards Jasper. He was doing this to me somehow I was certain of it. I was pissed off and I didn't want to calm down, so again I focused on maintaining it and growled at him.

He was ready for me this time. He just smiled smugly at me and this was what I needed to keep my anger motivated. When my growl deepen, Edwards said, "Jasper, she knows and she's getting more outraged."

Suddenly I heard an opening of a door. I swung towards the door of the room. Who just came in?

"It's Bella," Edward answered my thought again.

This was getting old and fast. I growled at him as I took an inch forward, which made the quiet big one to step forward too.

_I'll rip you from limb to limb if you try it. _A voice rang in my head. I'm guessing this was the big one's thoughts.

I glowered and growled at the big one. Big or not he definitely didn't want to mess with me in the mood that I was in. I was so angry and thirsty that I could take down a mountain lion.

Edward chuckled. When I glowered and growled at him, he flashed a memory crossed his mind. Suddenly I got the joke. Some woman… a woman vampire, who I haven't met yet had taken down a mountain lion. My glower and growl had deepened. I got the joke, but I didn't care.

The big one took a stepped closer and his thoughts once again rang in my head, _I__ will hurt you._

I swung around and growled at him again.

"Emmett." Edward spoke to the big one. So Emmett was his name, but again I didn't care. "It's fine."

Well if Emmett would take one more step towards me… all of a sudden my mindset had shifted. I was less primal and more logical. My anger had also lessened when my primal mind had suddenly diminished. I swung towards Jasper. He was doing this. A growl didn't leave my throat this time and I felt an anguish expression coming across my face. Why wasn't Edward answering my unspoken confusion? Jasper wasn't doing this to me, this time. So what was? And why wasn't Edward explaining it to me?

I swung around while sweeping the room with my eyes, looking for what was making me feel less primal. Then I saw her at the doorway, the woman vampire from Edward's memory; the one who had taken down a mountain lion. She was the one who was making me feel like this; like the person who I was before being attacked in the woods.

I scanned the room once again and looked into their eyes. Strange. Their expressions didn't change from before, but for the first time, it dawned on me that their expressions were consoling and concerning… concerned for me; concerned for my safety; concerned for their own safety.

I closed my eyes and began sobbing. "What's happening to me?" At least I think it was a sob. There were no tears.

"Honey," Carlisle cautiously said. My eyes opened and I looked at him. "How do you feel?"

I took a moment to think of his question before whispering, "Confused."

"You were bitten in the woods," Carlisle explained again. "By a vampire."

"I know," I whispered. "Why did I want to rip your head off if I'm now a vampire too… like you?"

Jasper was the one to answer. "You're a newborn… vampire." He said the word 'vampire' as if it was an afterthought. He then glanced at the woman from Edward's memory with a playful and smug grin. "You acted like what a newborn vampire should." The woman stuck out her tongue at him, and he just chuckled. His voice then rang in my head _We all know that your brain is wired differently, Bella._

So the woman at the door was the woman who Alice had called moments before. She didn't seem to have heard Jasper's thoughts. Edward did though. He pleasingly grinned at the thought. He was proud that Bella's mind was wired differently to everyone else's. So why wasn't he answering my thoughts. First I was annoyed that he was answering my unspoken questions and now I'm annoyed that he's not.

"Why aren't you answering me?" I whispered, barely audible.

"Did you ask something?" the woman next to Emmett asked, her tone slightly indifference. "Other than what you just asked."

Edward knew that I was directing my question to him and he gestured when he explained, "Bella. Her ability is a shield. I can't get passed it to hear her thoughts unless she concentrates to allow it." He's right. I can't hear Bella's thoughts either. "You have a mimicking ability by mimicking the abilities around you. You're mimicking Bella's shield as we speak, so therefore, I can't hear your questions or thoughts while Bella is near."

My mom had always told me that I empathized too much with the people around me. Strange that it took something like this for me to believe her.

"We need Bella here though." With a wide grin across his face, Carlisle picked up where Edward had left off. My eyes went to him. "It seems that Bella's natural transitions at becoming a vampire while skipping through the newborn stage is one of her abilities after all. You seem to me calmer now than before Bella had come."

I couldn't disagree with that. "My thoughts seem to be more… clearer… more logical and less primal; less at wanting to rip someone's head off."

A wide smile came across Carlisle's face. "Excellent. Anyway, I think this is a good time for proper introductions. I'm Carlisle." —He gestured to the others as he came to them— "Jasper. Emmett. Emmett's wife Rosalie. Edward. Edward's wife Bella. Jasper's wife Alice is in the hall. My wife Esme is with Bella and Edward's daughter, Renesmee…"

"Daughter?" I looked at Bella with surprise in my eyes. "Vampire women can get pregnant?"

"I became pregnant and gave birth to Renesmee before becoming a vampire," Bella explained. "Just before in fact. Renesmee is half human and half vampire. If you listen closely, you could make out her heartbeat."

There were two separates rhythmic beats as I listened and no other heartbeats. Not mine; not the people in this room or the person in the hall. I could also hear their thoughts. There was one more individual in the house than what I was told. "Who's the third person downstairs?"

"Very good," Edwards praised. "He's Jacob. He's a friend."

"He's still human?" I met Edward's eye for the answer.

"Half human," Edwards said.

"Like your daughter?"

Bella chuckled slightly before answering, "No. He's a… well, he's a werewolf."

"Werewolves!" I exclaimed as the memories of Fabian being ripped apart by monstrous dogs flooded my mind. "Fabian…"

"Yes," Carlisle answered before I could finish. "The wolves patrol the woods while looking for vampires who would feed on humans. The Cullens don't feed on humans, so we're safe from the wolves."

I glanced at Bella before saying, "You feed on mountain lions."

"When we can," Carlisle answered. "When we can't then we settle with elk or the other large animals that are in the area."

_Can I come back in now, Edward? _A voice rang in my head. This came from the hallway, from Alice most likely. I looked towards the hall at the same time Edward did.

"Hold up, Alice," Edward answered in a tone as if he was answering someone five inches away. I then heard a sigh in the hallway. "Honey, Alice also has an ability. Those images that you saw earlier. Those were images of the future…"

"Possible future," Alice said in a normal tone. I heard it as well as if she was standing next to me.

"Possible future," Edward corrected. "If a person changes his or her mind then Alice's vision would change too."

"So by me being able to mimic other people's abilities, I will be seeing visions of the future when Alice's around me?"

"Yes," Edward answered. "Are you ready for it?"

Ready or not it was going to happen when I'm around Alice. So I might as well get this over with. As I went to answer Edward I squeaked out, "Yes." Okay. That came out as if I was uncertain.

_You'll be fine_, Edward's voice rang in my head and knowing very well that I heard him. After all it was his gift that I was borrowing. "Come in, Alice."

The flood of pictures began flowing immediately as Alice entered the room. I watch them with less panic this time.

I was scrutinizing what I was seeing in my head and after a brief moment, Alice asked, "So how are you doing, Honey?" A shock gasp came out of my mouth. "What is it?"

"My parents… they're on the road. They're looking for me… or will be." I was a vampire now. Could I be around them? Were there rules to this? Would I want to rip their heads off the way that I wanted to do with this vampire family not too long ago? Suddenly I realized that everyone was looking at me with worry in his or her eyes.

"I can't read your thoughts when Bella is in the room," Edward told me just after I noticed them noticing me.

"Bella stays," I snapped. "If she leaves, I might come unglued again."

An amused grin came across Edward's face before he told me, "What I meant was, you need to verbalize your fears or thoughts. We can help you if you let us."

I gave a quick nod. At least I think I did. I'm not even sure if I had even moved. I glanced at their faces as I said, "Can I be around people now? Or do I have to stay here?"

Carlisle sighed before saying, "You're a newborn and as a rule it takes a newborn a year to get where he or she can be around people again without wanting to…"

"Rips their heads off," I supplied.

Carlisle slightly grinned as he continued to say, "Along with feeding on them, yes. Bella is an exception to that rule though."

_A big exception_. Edward's voice rang in my head. I turned to look and he had moved over to Bella. He now had his arm around her waist.

"Bella had been able to be around humans from just about day one," Carlisle continued to say while oblivious to Edward's ad-lib. I turned back towards Carlisle. "In fact, as a vampire, Bella is only four months old and her father visits her and his granddaughter all the time. Bella's father doesn't know about her being a vampire though and he mustn't find out. No humans can find out about us. Human finding out about us is a violation of our laws and the Volturis takes the vampire laws very, very seriously."

"Who's the Volturis?"

"Aren't you thirsty?" Emmett asked me.

I looked at him and thought for a second before I answered, "Yes. But I'm finding that I can ignore it for now."

Alice smiled delightfully before she said, "Bella's presence is helping her to ignore her thirst."

"You won't be able to ignore it for too much longer," Carlisle informed me. "We will explain everything to you, but right now, you need to go hunt. Bella will go with you…"

"To keep me sane," I jokingly interrupted with a smile.

Emmett chuckled before uttering, "Bella's keeping someone sane? That's the first."

Bella amusingly smiled at Emmett before heckling, "It's just you I like to drive nuts, dear brother."

I couldn't help but to chuckle also at their playful heckling. These… 'vampires' were obviously a close-knit family.

Carlisle smiled too as did everyone else before Carlisle continued to say, "Anyway, Edward; Emmett; Rosalie, perhaps you three can go with them." They all nodded in agreement.

"How long will I have to be around Bella?" I glanced at Bella and saw her staring at me with a slightly appalling expression across her face. Did I upset her with my question? "Don't get me wrong, Bella. I do like your company and all that…"

Bella's expression changed quickly to a grin before she interrupted me with, "You misunderstood my expression. You asked the very question that I was thinking and I thought for a moment that you had read my mind."

A pleasant smile came across my face before I uttered, "Oh." I'm glad I didn't upset her. I could see her and me being friends.

"Let's give it a couple of days, Honey, and then we can attempt to see how you will react after you get accustomed at being a newborn," Carlisle told me.

I nodded in agreement. I wasn't in a hurry to go it alone without Bella keeping me sane, but at the same time I didn't want to be dependent on her or to be tethered to her.

"Let's go," Emmett told everyone.

I followed the group out into the hall, and I couldn't help but to look at every nook and cranny of the house. This was certainly a lovely house. We were on the second floor and a woman, Esme I believed, was waiting for us near the bottom of the steps.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

When I reached the bottom of the steps, Esme came at me with a wide smile across her face, and extending her right hand to shake hands. "Welcome, Honey."

I quickly and instinctively took a stepped back onto the first step, while causing Carlisle, Bella, Edward, Jasper and Alice to stop descending the steps midway down. Emmett and Rosalie were in front of me and were off the steps. At the exact moment that I stepped back onto the first step, my lips came up while displaying my threatening teeth and a low warning growl came rolling out.

"Easy, Esme," Emmett warned. "She's a newborn."

Apparently Bella's ability wasn't totally keeping my primal instincts at bay.

"Yes," Esme agreed as she dropped her hand and backed up to a comfortable distance from me. _I knew better than that. Since Bella never acted like a newborn, I got careless. _"Please accept my apology."

"I overreacted," I whispered before stepping off of the steps again, but this time more cautiously. I continued to slowly walk away from the steps a few feet so the others can come down. "I'm sorry."

"Esme, it might be easier to interact with her after she hunts," Edward suggested as he and the others finished descending the steps.

"Of course," Esme agreed while showing me her pleasant wide smile again. "Hurry back."

"Come, Honey," Emmett told me as he and Rosalie walked towards the front door.

I looked around the house again as I slowly followed Emmett and Rosalie. An intimidating tall man stood across the room while holding a toddler. Jacob and Renesmee no doubt and their stench burned my throat, and again my primal instincts kicked in as a low growl escaped my lips.

Emmett turned to see what I was growling at and sighed. _This is going to be a long day._

"Easy, Honey," Bella was the one to warn.

"Their stench burns my throat," I explained before letting out another low growl at the offensive smell.

"Yes, but you'll get use to it," Bella told me. "After a while you won't notice."

"That smell will get easier to tolerate after you have hunted," Edward added. "So let's go hunt."

I just stood there while staring at her friend and daughter; however, I must have looked as though I was hungering for them because Bella suddenly stepped in front of me and let out a growl while threateningly displaying her teeth. _Get out of this house! _

"Easy Bella," Edward warned as he came around and stood closer to Bella. He heard Bella's thoughts too.

I rocked back a step while partially shocked. When I realized the situation I whispered, "I thought I couldn't hear your thoughts."

Bella's eyes and words were a bit harsh as she explained again through her clenched teeth, "My shield is naturally over me, but I learn how to lift it when I need it up." That's right. Edward did tell me that… although not in those exact words. "Now get out of this house!"

I threateningly displayed my teeth and a light hiss escaped my lips. Bella threateningly displayed her teeth too, but before a warning growl could escape hers I turned and walked towards Emmett and Rosalie.

_You're doing well, Honey,_ Edward encouraged as he and Bella followed behind me.

Thanks. Edward didn't hear me though. I'll have to find out what Bella does to lift her shield.

Once Emmett, Rosalie, Bella, Edwards and I were outside, Emmett looked back at me, and ordered, "Keep up." He then took off running with Rosalie at his side, and within a very short time he and Rosalie were out of sight. Emmett's voice then rang in my head, _Follow our scent as fast as you can._

I took a deep breath, although taking a deep breath was useless now, and I took off running as fast as I could. Bella and Edward chased after me.

I flew passed tree after tree, and the image of those passing trees to my peripheral vision appeared as being one smeared blur. The trees out in front of me though were crystal clear, even the ones at a great distance. What I would've missed with my human eyes, I could see very clearly with my vampire eyes; although I had very little time to examine any of those trees before they too join the smeared blur. If I would've run this speed when I was on my high school track team, I would have been untouchable.

The back-side of Emmett and Rosalie then suddenly appeared in front of me, and I was gaining rapidly on them. Crap! I was enjoying this all out run and now I have to slow down. Well, I could go ahead of them… but I don't know where we're going. Plus I didn't want to run into those wolves. My luck the wolves would think that I was fleeing from the Cullens and not running with them, and attack me. I slowed my running and I was now running ten feet behind Emmett and Rosalie. Bella and Edward caught up quickly as well.

"I might not be the fastest runner anymore," Edward said in a tone that made it sound as though he was leisurely walking and not running at whatever fast speed that we were running at. "It shows that you ran track in high school."

"How… ugh, you listened to my thoughts as I was burning on the table," I accused.

"You're still tasting a sample of my ability," Edward began. "You know how hard it is not to hear."

"Did you enjoy my life story?" I grumbled, displeased at knowing that he knew my life history better than anyone else in the world.

Edward knew that I wasn't happy with what he knew about me and said to only appease me, "Once you satisfy your thirst and we're back at the house, I'll tell you anything you want to know about me. That's fair, right?"

"I'll consider it," I grunted.

Suddenly Emmett and Rosalie halted the formation at the edge of a river that was about fifty yards wide.

This can't be the spot. I don't see any elks or mountain lions around. "I don't see any animals to hunt."

Rosalie glowered at me before snapping out, "We're jumping the river."

"We're jumping the river?" I echoed, but as a question. Are you serious? The span of that river was half of a football field wide.

"Just watch and then do," Emmett ordered.

I threateningly displayed my teeth again and a low growl escaped my lips towards Emmett before I was able to calm myself enough to say. "Yes sir." I didn't like being ordered around when I was human and now that I'm a vampire I like it even less.

"You could be more understanding when you give out instructions, Emmett," Edward said in my defense. "She's not even an hour old. She doesn't know what all she's capable of."

"You're right, Edward," Emmett agreed. "I'm sorry, Honey."

"It's fine," I snapped. Okay, my tone didn't sound like it was fine, but at least I didn't growl this time. I should get some points for that.

Emmett just nodded and then turned to make his leap over the river. He either chose to ignore my tone or my tone didn't sound as bad as I thought. My bet's on the former.

Emmett and Rosalie were the first two who leaped the span. They made it look too easy. It couldn't be that easy, could it?

"Your turn," Bella informed me. "And if this helps, I was scared on my first leap too. But there's really nothing to it."

I gave Bella a nod and then took a deep breath. I started where Rosalie had started and when I reached the point where she had flung herself over, I did the same. I did my best to repeat Rosalie's jump and when I hit the ground, I was only an inch away of where Rosalie had landed. Yes!

"That was great jump, Honey," Emmett and Rosalie praised.

"It really was," Bella and Edwards agreed from across the river.

I turned to watch Bella and Edward leap across, but before they did I felt the primal force inside me rushing back rapidly. I couldn't hear Emmett's or Rosalie's thoughts either. The span of the river must be too wide for me to mimic Edward's and Bella's abilities. I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes while trying to hold onto my logical mind.

Emmett saw me, and hurried closer to me while asking, "What is it, Honey?"

"Stay back!" I demanded through my clench teeth. My eyes popped opened to look at him and he stopped walking when he saw the fury in my eyes. "I need Bella!"

Bella knew what I meant and she informed me, "I'm coming, Honey."

In an instant both Bella and Edward were on my side of the river, and immediately following my logical mind had stabilized and my mind-reading skills had been reestablished.

When I appeared to be less primal again, Bella asked me, "Better?"

"Much," I agreed. "At least we now know that my mimicking ability doesn't stretch the length of half of a football field."

"After hunting we might want to find out how far your ability does stretch too," Edward suggested.

"We can do it now," I countered.

"We have all the time for that," Edward began. "We need to satisfy your thirst before your thirst overpowers your logic."

"Fine." I didn't disagree with him. Every time he used the word 'thirst' my throat burns more than the time before. I must be thirstier than I think and it was becoming harder to ignore.

"If we are all set, follow me," Emmett said.

"I'm set," I told him. He nodded and then took off running. Rosalie was right at his side like before and I fell into formation behind them. Bella and Edward were just behind me.

We ran for at least fifteen minutes before we stopped. And at the speed that we were traveling, we had to have covered twenty miles, give or take a few miles. I loved running in high school and this was ten times better.

"Come here, Honey," Edward called.

Edward was several feet into the trees and I stared at him curiously. What did he want with me? And of course he didn't hear my unspoken question with Bella near by.

I jogged over to him, however, I had a feeling that my jog would have appeared as a fast run to a human. As I approached him, I asked, "What is it?"

"There's a herd of elk near by," Edward informed me. "You are going to tell me in what direction they are."

I stopped next to Edward's right side. Bella was on his left. "Wouldn't it be easier if you tell me that?"

"Sometimes you will be hunting alone and so you'll have to be able to find them alone," Edward explained.

I nodded. I understood what he was telling me; however, I didn't know how to begin to hunt. "Can you give me a hint on what to do?"

Edward chuckled before saying, "Close your eyes. Listen to what's around you and then tell me what you hear."

I drew in an unnecessary breath and closed my eyes. I listened. The woods were cluttered with different noises. The birds that remained in the region throughout the winter months. The wind was whipping through the trees and was rustling the branches. Flowing water to my left. Dogs… or another type of animal lapping up the water. Another type of animal? Elk? I turned towards that sound and listened harder. Heartbeats; I was hearing heartbeats. Several of them… too many to count. That must be a big herd. My throat began to burn twice as much from my thirst, and then I forgot that I wasn't alone. I took off at a fast run towards the direction of the herd without even acknowledging the others.

Emmett chuckled before saying, "Save us some, Honey."

I heard Emmett calling after me, but my mind was focused on one thing and that was to satisfy my thirst.

Bella, Edward, Emmett and Rosalie followed me in, but at a much slower pace. My mindset at the moment was totally primal and they were giving me a wide berth so I could satisfy that primal need.

It didn't take long at all for me to reach the herd in a snow-covered clearing near a creek, and my eyes locked tight onto the biggest elk there. It was almost in the middle of the herd and I went at it at a full run.

The elks that I ignored didn't even notice me until I had already passed them and by that time they were running in the direction that I had come.

As the herd began to scramble from me startling it, the elk that I had locked my focus on had taken off running also. I was already closing in on it and the elk had barely ran twenty feet when I sunk by teeth into its neck and downing it within seconds.

I drank greedily until the carcass ran dry and then I snapped my head up for my next victim. The biggest elk here and it barely put a dent in satisfying my thirst.

Bella, Edward, Emmett and Rosalie were feeding across the clearing, and passed them I saw the trotting herd. I leaped to my feet and went at the herd again at a full run.

Bella, Edward, Emmett and Rosalie just needed one each to satisfy their thirst, but it took me three elks before the burning in my throat felt like a mild sore throat that could be easily ignored. When I felt no desire to chase down the fleeing herd again I rejoined Bella, Edward, Emmett and Rosalie; who where all four chuckling at me for my feeding etiquette. Their chuckles angered me, but not enough now to voice it with a snarl or a growl.

"I would like to see how you four had fed during your first time," I hissed as I stepped up.

"It's not you," Emmett informed me while still laughing. "Newborns are always funny to watch as they eat."

"I hope I provided adequate amusement for you," I again hissed.

"You did," Emmett agreed with a laugher that was slowly dying out.

I threateningly displayed my teeth at Emmett, and when I immediately relaxed my lips without any sound escaping them Rosalie noted, "You seem to be in better control of yourself."

I thought about it before saying, "I feel more like my old self… more so than before."

"Good," Edward said. "We will return to the house."

I nodded in agreement and then, in the same formation as before, we took off running back towards the house.

The running pace was slower this time, more leisurely, but it was still much faster than human speed.

"When you can get where your logical mind is ruling over your primal mind without Bella's presence, Honey, I would like to race you," Edward told me. "I haven't met any vampires that could out run me, and I think I might've met my match with you. So what do you say?"

"I say that you gave me a strong incentive to keep my primal mind to its lowest. I love running and racing and I'll leave you standing in my dust."

"We have a challenge, folks," Emmett announced.

He announced that challenge as if he feeds on them; the more challenges the stronger he gets.

"We'll certainly find out who will leave who in his or her dust," Edward amusingly responded.

As we ran back I went through my memories again, but this time instead of concentrating on the visual details of my human life I focus on the emotional details; details that I hope would keep my logical mind prominent. Edwards, Emmett's and Rosalie's minds weren't really all that active so it wasn't hard to ignore the random thoughts that they did have. I think Edward was purposely keeping his mind quiet. He knew all too well what it was like to have voices ringing in his head, and I think he was trying to make it as easy as possible for me. I can't hear Bella's thoughts unless she would purposely allow it, and as for Emmett and Rosalie, well, they had most likely learned how to quiet their mind while being around Edward. Therefore I found it easy to go through my human memories.

Even through we were running at a casual pace it seemed as though we reached the river in no time. Like before, Emmett and Rosalie jumped first, but unlike before, Bella and Edward jumped when I did.

Once we were on the other side, Edward's attention was quickly drawn into the direction of the house with a worried expression across his face. Some voice had rung in his head in that direction that bothered him. I stretched out mind too to find out what Edward was hearing.

Bella saw Edward's expression too and before I could figure it out on my own on what was disturbing Edward, Bella asked him, "What is it?"

"Your dad is at the house," Edward answered. "He's showing Honey's picture to Carlisle and the others."

"Why would your father be showing my picture around?" I asked Bella. Was he a cop?

My thoughts were verified when Bella answered, "He's the chief of police here in Forks."

_She's been reported missing and all this time she's been here_, a voice rang in my head from the Cullen's house. I'm assuming that these thoughts were from Bella's dad. _So why isn't she informing her folks of that fact?_

"Carlisle told Charlie that Honey is with us," Edward told us, but I already knew that someone had; I didn't really catch by whom though.

Bella sighed and as she stared at me she told Edward, Emmett and Rosalie, "He won't leave until he sees Honey, so we had better join him." She then sternly warned me. "The smell of human can urge you to drink even though you're no longer thirsty, and if you don't want me viciously ripping you apart, you'll do an exceptional job at controlling that urge to drink."

"I'll do my best."

My answer didn't satisfy Bella. Her lips twitched as if she was fighting back a snarl just before she growled through her clenched teeth, "Try again!"

Bella wanted a definite 'yes' and anything less than that I felt that she would carry out her threat right here; right now. As I stared into her eyes I said as convincingly as I could, "I 'will' control my urge to drink…"

_Not breathing around humans as much as possible helps to keeps that urge back,_ Edward's voice rang in my head. _Unfortunately you have to take casual breaths in order to speak._

"I'll hold my breath if I have to," I continued after a very short pause of hearing Edward's thoughts.

I didn't think I did anything to tip Bella off that Edward had told me that, but she knew. Bella made a quick glance at Edward and then back at me before she told me, "You'll also have to act human. Edward can also give you those tips on how as we go to the house."

I nodded in agreement with a side-glance to Edward. I had about three weeks of acting experience… or instructions during my high school freshman year after joining the drama club. I had also signed up for the astronomy club and the track team. I had wanted to play soccer; I was good at it. I could cover the entire field faster than anyone else. My scoring skills weren't all that impressive though—I would average one goal for every six goal attempts—but my overall performance was still impressive enough that the opposing team members hated me during my junior league days. I had always thought that was funny. My high school didn't have soccer team though and so I tried out for track as a compromise. I never consider track before then. I didn't even know if I could even make the team, but when the coach saw my speed, not only did I make the team; I became his star runner. My drama classes conflicted with my track time and so I had to drop drama. And the choice of doing so wasn't even a contest. I had also had been welcomed in with the astronomy club that same day that I had clinched a position on the track team, so I had to apologize to them for wasting their time for even applying.

As the five of us started back towards the house, Edward gave me my acting parts as his voice rang in my head, _When sitting with humans, do not sit too still or move too fast. If humans are standing you stand with them. You are only to sit when they do. Let your eyes wonder. As a rule humans don't stare at one thing for more than thirty seconds. Crossing your legs would be appropriate, but switch from that to crossing your ankles and back again every five minutes. — _In simpler words, fidget… a lot. — _And blink, three… four times a minute…_

When Edward hesitated to think about what else to tell me, I saw that he was pulling his suggestions from his memories on when Bella had gone through this four months ago. And if I saw right, he was even telling me in the same order to when Bella was told.

_Oh and your hand gestures,_ Edward's voice once again rang in my head after a very short pause. _Brush your hair back at times; pretend to scratch your neck or nose or whatever… your arm, your ear… your leg. — _I got the point. Edward figured that I got it too when a sigh escaped my lips and so he moved on. —_ Oh and when you're holding your breath, which you will be doing as much as possible around humans, move your shoulders a little to make it look like you're breathing. Excuse yourself at appropriate intervals and leave the room as if you need to use the bathroom… and that's really all that I can think of for the moment. _

I nodded to Edward to let him know that I got my acting part down. And I did. My acting part was to be a very fidgeting-skittish-shy human who was trying not to be a fidgeting-skittish-shy human.

Suddenly a voice rang in my head that had come form the Cullen's house. _Edward. Bring Honey to the garage. I will have some clean clothes waiting for her. She needs to look decent before she meets Charlie._

The voice belonged to Alice… at least I think it did. And who was Charlie? He must be Bella's dad. I glanced at Edward and when I did he nodded at me. He heard Alice as well as I did, if not better.

As we ran towards the Cullen's house, I focused on what I was told during my three weeks in the drama club, unfortunately three weeks wasn't near enough time to gain any type of acting experience. I hope I'm a natural actor as I am a natural runner.

As we were closing in on the Cullen's house, Edward told Emmett and Rosalie, "We're going to the garage. Alice is there with a change of clothes for Honey."

"Just remember, Honey. Alice means well," Bella told me in a very apologetic tone.

Before I could question Bella for her meaning, Rosalie said, "Don't listen to, Bella. She prefers an old comfortable pair of jeans over the latest fashionable evening wear."

Ah. Bella's statement made better sense. As to how apologetic Bella was I guess that Alice gets carried away when it comes to fashion while Bella could care less about it. Me, I like fashion when I'm out and about, but comfort when I'm home lounging around.

"Rose, even you have to admit that Alice can go overboard at times," Bella defensively said while interrupting my thoughts.

Rosalie sighed before saying, "At times she can."

Bella and Rosalie had gotten me a little nervous over what kind of clothes were awaiting for me at the garage… which was good in a way. Worrying over trivial things like clothes were very human… unless vampires worried over trivial things like that as well.

It only took a couple of minutes for us to reach the garage and once we stepped in something behind Alice, Jacob and Renesmee caught my full attention before anything else could.

As I looked pass Alice as Alice was holding items that really didn't catch my eye, I asked, "What's my car doing here?!" Okay that came out more demanding than I meant for it to.

"We couldn't very well leave it on the side of the road," Edward explained. "It would've been towed away."

"The crap piece of junk needs to be towed away," I grumbled.

"I think you're too hard on it," Jacob told me. "Although, it had a couple of things wrong with it, it didn't take very long to fix."

"Fix?" I shockingly uttered. "You fixed it?"

Jacob smiled before saying, "You're welcome."

"Well… thank you." Jacob just nodded with a grin at my gratitude. I found myself staring at Jacob again as he held Renesmee in his arms.

"Why's Nessie here?" Bella demanded.

Her words broke my stare and I turned towards her. I was certain that Bella told me that her name was Renesmee. Well, I guess Nessie could be her nickname.

"Nessie thought that she could help Honey to pass through her newborn phase faster by showing her…"

I interrupted Alice while demanding, "Show me what?!"

When I looked towards Alice, I noticed for the first time that her left hand was holding steady a mirror that was resting on the floor. The mirror was almost as tall as she was and was three feet wide. In her right hand she was holding a clothes bag that would be for a dress. I wonder if she has shoes to go with it. No doubt that she does… somewhere.

"Nessie has an ability of her own." I turned towards Nessie again as Alice continued to say, "She can speak of course, but she prefers to communicate by showing her thoughts to the person who she's speaking with. And she does that through the touch of her hand."

"As long as Edward is near, I can hear her thoughts," I informed Alice.

"It's not the same," Edward admitted to. "There's no way to explained it properly, but communicating with Nessie her way will be better than reading her mind. You'll get more out of it."

"Is it safe for Nessie though?" Bella quickly asked. "Can Honey handle getting that close?"

"When Nessie made the choice to help I saw that it was safe for her and that it will work," Alice explained. "Honey will move passed her newborn phase much faster,"

I thought about Alice's ability for a moment before asking, "So your ability only works once a choice was made."

"Yes," Alice told me while staring at me curiously.

"We explain that to you earlier," Rosalie added.

"Well, I knew Alice could see future events, and it changes when someone changes his or her mind, but by Alice's visions being dependent on someone making a choice was never properly explained," I defensively told Rosalie.

"She's right," Edward agreed. "That was totally my fault."

"Well, I'm just looking to understand; not to lay fault."

"In any case, Nessie can help Honey," Alice continued.

Edward stepped up to Jacob and took Nessie from him. He then came to me with Nessie in his arms.

Once Edward stepped up with Nessie, Nessie said with a giggle, "Hi."

Nessie was a pretty little girl with a delightful laugh, and even at her young age her voice was musical and intelligent. While staring in her eyes I could tell that if this child wasn't smarter than me now, she will be before too much longer. I'm going to have to study hard to keep up with her… or at least try to keep up with her. I grinned at her before I said, "Hi. You have something to show me?"

"Uh-Huh," Nessie told me as her hand came up quickly to touch my face. Her speed was faster than a human.

I flinched from being startled of her sudden movement, which made Bella flinch too, and she was immediately at Edward's side. Edward had also backed up a step with Nessie.

My composure was quickly calmed before a snarl could form or a growl could roll out of Bella's lips. "I'm sorry. I knew Nessie was going to touch me, but the quick movement of her hand triggered my reaction."

_Maybe Honey should close her eyes_, a voice rang in my head. I believe it came from Jacob.

Edward and I glanced at Jacob, before I continued with, "I'll close my eyes and we can try again."

Edward nodded in agreement.

I closed my eyes and just in case Nessie's warm-blooded smell would also trigger a primal response, I stopped breathing. A second later, I felt a small hand touching my face. I gritted my teeth and fought the urge to jump back with only a minute flinch, and not even a second after that, images more sequential than Alice's visions flooded my head. However, it was more than images that was being transferred to me. I felt it; I smelled it; I tasted it, I heard it and if I didn't know better, I would say that I was experiencing it first hand.

Nessie had excellent memory and what she more than showed me were random events from her life; most of which was her experience on how she was able to tame her own primal urges. The information went through my head so rapidly that she was done in a very short time in spite of the amount of data that she uploaded into my head.

When Nessie dropped her hand, my eyes opened. As I looked around at the ones around me with a new understanding of my new life, Jacob asked, "So?"

"That was… wow. It's going to take me some time to sort out what I had experienced."

"That can be overwhelming," Edward told me.

I chuckled before telling him, "That's an understatement."

_How much longer is Honey going to be? _A voice from the house suddenly rang in my head. No doubt it was Charlie's thoughts. He sounds like a man who hates to be kept waiting. Although since he's the chef of police he has more important things to do than to wait on me. _And where did Alice and Jacob take Nessie?_

"Your dad's getting impatient," Edward told Bella.

Bella nodded before saying, "We better get a move on."

I nodded and then turned towards Alice. Alice held out the dress bag as I walked up, and when I took it, I faced the men who where there.

"Boys, I've never been shy about getting undress in front of the opposite sex, so if any of you don't want to see it, I suggest you leave now."

I heard Alice giggle along with Jacob's pleasingly voice in my head, _Really?_ Jacob reminded me of a young man walking into a strip club for the first time on his twenty-first birthday.

_This should be interesting_, Emmett's voice rang in my head around the same time Jacob's did. Emmett's thoughts were indifference of it being pleasurable at seeing me naked or not.

Edward moaned as he stared pleasingly at Bella before telling her, "I'll be outside, Dear Wife, so she can change." It was obvious that Edward was absolutely in love with Bella. The thought of seeing a woman other than her didn't sit well with him.

Edward, with Nessie in his arms, leaned in and passionately kissed Bella. During the kiss Nessie leaned partially against Edward and partially against Bella at the same time as if to give them both a loving hug. Bella responded to Nessie by putting her hand on top of Nessie's without ending the kiss between her and Edward.

"Wait outside too, Emmett." Rosalie ordered

"Of course, Sweet Rosalie," Emmett answered before kissing Rosalie as well.

Once Edward and Bella were done kissing, Bella faced Jacob and ordered, "Wait outside too, Jacob."

"Of course," Jacob answered in a tone as if that was his plan all along. He then walked towards the door.

As Edward was walking towards the door, while carrying Nessie, he suggested, "Jacob, Charlie would be less impatient to see Honey, if he had Nessie to keep him entertained."

"Alright," Jacob answered. "Nessie and I will join Charlie." As he, Edward and Emmett were leaving the garage, Jacob took Nessie back from Edward.

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

Once the garage door was close, I opened the bag to reveal the dress and when I saw it I became a statue while staring at the name-brand on the dress. It was a French name, a name that I couldn't begin to pronounce, and in spite my lack of ability to pronounce it, I was familiar with it. This dress was worth about a thousand dollars. Was Alice insane? Why would she give me a dress that cost this much?

I was scared to move. I was scared that any sudden movement would rip it or put an uncleanable spot on it.

After Alice decided that I wasn't going to move, she stepped in front of me while lugging the mirror as though it was one-fourth its size. She hesitated for only a moment before asking, "What's wrong, Honey?" _You don't like the dress?_

Edward must be just outside the door. I could still here Alice's thoughts.

"Wait, Alice," Bella uttered. "That's how you sometimes get when you're having a vision."

The random scenes didn't really start crossing my thoughts until Jacob had left the garage, and they were mainly mundane scenes of my relatives, friends and the people I've seen on campus. So mundane in fact, that I didn't have any problems with ignoring them; the same with the random voices that would ring inside my head. I'm the youngest out of five siblings, one sister and three brothers; my sister being the second oldest, and my twin brothers tied for the third oldest. So I'm used to filtering out random noises and scenes that didn't interest me. So a vision like what Alice would get isn't what got me frozen in place; however, the vision of me ruining an expensive dress was.

Rosalie and Bella had moved in front of me and stood next to Alice before Alice asked, "Honey, are you having a vision?"

Since I couldn't pronounce the name-brand of the dress, I spelled it out. My mouth was the only think that moved.

Alice figured out quickly as to what I was spelling, and asked before I was done, "What about it?"

"It's a thousand dollars," I exclaimed.

In a causal tone as if it was no big deal, Alice answered, "Oh, not this one. This one was only eight hundred, but Esme got it with a discount. She only paid slightly more than six hundred for it."

I continued to stand there as a statue while scared to budge a fraction of an inch. I knew my voice was going to be sarcastic, so I try to dull it up some as I said the words, "Oh, only slightly more than six hundred. My prom dress was less than two hundred."

"Well, we can't do anything about the past," Alice said again casually.

"You misunderstood me, Alice," I quickly said. "Can you remove this more-expense-than-I-can-afford dress from my hands before I do something to ruin it and replace with something that I can afford?"

Edward and Emmett were apparently listening to our conversation because all four of us heard them snickering near the door.

Alice frowned before telling me, "The dress in your hand is the cheapest in the house that will fit you."

"It probably the cheapest even among the dresses that don't fit you," Bella added. When Alice shot her an annoyed look, Bella just smirked at her.

"Well, if I put this dress on, I can't guarantee its safety," I warned.

"Don't worry about that," Alice assured me.

"Okay," I told Alice before I broke my statue pose.

I now see what Edward was talking about… about being in one position too long. I easily could've remained like that for a length of time that would've gotten people wondering if I was a statue.

I took the full-length aqua/purple dress from its bag and held it up, and it was beautiful. It was the kind of dress that would have me admiring and longing for, but couldn't afford. And this family that cares more about luxury than practical items was giving it to me for a day to wear. I could see the Cullen cars in my peripheral vision and so it was obviously that the Cullens could afford luxury items such as this dress and those sports cars that were next to my ten-year-old heap.

Apparently I stood like a statue too long again while admiring the dress because the next thing I knew, Alice was asking, "You don't like the dress?"

I swung around without realizing how fast I had moved, and as I held it to my chest I insisted, "I do. It's beautiful. I'm just not used to exquisite things like this."

"Okay, well, take off what you have on and put the dress on," Alice urged.

I nodded and then slightly hesitated. I need to put the dress down so I could get undress, but I didn't want the dress to leave my hands.

"Now what's wrong?" Rosalie asked while viewing my hesitation.

Instead of answering that question, I asked, "Can one of you hold the dress so I can get undress?"

"Of course," Alice said with a slight grin before retaking the dress.

I undressed at fast as I could without ripping the clothes off myself. My eyes stayed focused on the dress that entire time as if by me staring at it was the only thing that was keeping it from vanishing into thin air.

Once I was down to my bra and panties, I retook the dress and slipped it on. I barely had the dress on when Alice asked me, "What's your natural eye color."

My eyes would darken and lighten with my mood or how tired I was, but they always remained a shade of brown, so why was she asking me that? I gave Alice a curious look and as I gestured towards my eyes, I said, "They're brown."

"I thought as much," Alice said. "Rose, would you mind getting them." She then gestured. "They're over there."

"Get what?"

"Brown-colored-contact lenses," Alice told me in a tone as if I should've known.

"Like both my parents, I have twenty-twenty vision."

Alice snickered before telling me, "It's not for your eye-sight silly, and your eyes are better than twenty-twenty now anyway."

"Then what are they for?"

"She never seen her eyes and I never thought to tell her," Edward said from outside the door.

"My eyes?!" I could feel myself panicking and my primal mind rearing its head. My lips displayed my teeth slightly and I growled out, "What's wrong with my eyes?!"

"They're different that's all," Alice answered nonchalantly. I moved towards the mirror for the first time since I saw it in Alice's hands. "All newborn eyes are like this, so there's nothing to be alarmed over."

Alice moved the mirror so I could see myself, and I stopped in my tracks while gazing at my reflection. I became a statue again while admiring how lovely I looked, and not just in that dress. The only body part I moved was my red eyes, which the new color to my eyes should've bothered me, but it didn't. My skin tone was lighter than before Fabian had attacked me in the woods, but it was still considerably darker than my mom's darkest tan.

I knew since the age of twelve—mainly because the older boys would flock around me—that I had an appealing enough face that would hold any boy's attention. But now, my full lips were even fuller, and I couldn't find any flaw in my now goddess-like features. And the beautiful dress that I was now wearing had only accented those features to be even more stunning. Wow! Boy, was I glad that Bella was next to me. If she wasn't, Edward would now think that I was conceited and possibly shallow after listening to my thoughts. Wow!

Apparently I remained too long as a statue again, because Alice interrupted my thoughts with, "How bad do you hate it?"

"Wh… hate it?" I snapped out of my trance. "I have never been so beautiful in my life." I hope that didn't sound too conceited.

"I felt the same way when I saw myself for the first time after the change," Bella told me.

"Yeah-yeah-yeah, we're all goddess looking," Alice said in a tone to move things along.

Edward and Emmett chuckled outside the door.

_Oh hush,_ Alice's voice rang in my head. That voice was meant for Edward and I know he had heard it the same as I did.

Apparently vampire women being compared to goddesses weren't anything new. Features on vampire men were god-like too, so I wonder if the vampires' god-like features were camouflage to draw the prey in closer; although the Cullens didn't need those features; not in a predator-luring-the-prey-in sort of way… nor did I. The Cullens hunt elk and the occasional mountain lion and I'm determined to fall in line with the Cullens' way of life. I just hope that I'm strong enough to resist the enticing smell of humans and not give in to my primal urge to drink.

As the chuckling quieted down outside, I glanced towards the door and told Edward and Emmett, "I'm decent if you would like to come back in." I then turned back towards the mirror. Saying that I was decent was actually an understatement.

Edward and Emmett stepped in and I turned to face them. Edward just nodded in an approving manner with no attraction for me whatsoever in eyes, and then he took his place at Bella's side.

"You look lovely," was only Emmett's response as he took his place at Rosalie's side.

Rosalie had the box of contact lenses by this time and she stepped up to me while saying, "You need to put these color lenses in. Most likely it won't match your human eye color, but it will hide the redness of your eyes."

As I took the box from Rosalie I asked, "So I'll have to put these in every time I'm around people now?"

"Oh, no," Alice said. "For the first three months, your eyes are full of venom… in fact, speaking of that, the venom will dissolve the lenses, and so you will need to change them every three hours. Anyway, even though your eyes won't go back to its natural color you will be able to go without the need of color lenses after three months. In fact, Bella's amber eye color is about what you can expect." I looked into Bella's eyes to see the color. "Of course her eye color will grow darker when she's thirsty."

"The color as they are now is pretty."

_I totally agree, _Edward's voice rang in my head. I glanced at him, and his face was somewhat smug. _Although I liked her human brown eyes better. _

"Thank you," Bella had said to me when I glanced at Edward.

"Okay, well, put the lenses in, so you can go see Charlie," Alice strongly urged again.

I nodded and then complied. After I had them in place I looked around. The room looked a little smoky and I could even see the detail flaws within the lenses itself. It was a little irritating.

"The lenses make my vision hazy, and I can see lines."

"The downside of wearing them," Bella told me.

"But you'll get used to them," Alice added.

"I'll take your word for that."

"Anyway, after you put these on, we'll be good to go for you to see Bella's dad," Rosalie told me while being somewhat behind me and out of my view.

I turned to see what she was talking about. As I thought earlier Alice had a pair of shoes for me to try on. They were aqua colored high-heeled shoes and the color blended in well with the dress.

"You and Esme are nearly the same height so hopefully these will fit," Rosalie continued to say as she stepped closer and held out the shoes.

"I'm sure they will," I said while accepting the shoes from her. I slid them on one at a time onto my feet, and once both feet where down and my weight was on them equally, I continued to say, "They fit me comfortably."

"Great then we're all set," Alice said.

With Edward and Bella leading the way, we left the garage and headed for the house. Alice was after Edward and Bella and I was after Alice. Rosalie and Emmett followed behind me. I took at breath and held it just before we reached the front door.

Edward opened the door, but then gestured for everyone to enter as he held the door open like a gentleman. Bella went through the door first and then Alice. I followed Alice in and Rosalie followed me in. Once Emmett stepped through the door behind Rosalie, Edward entered behind him and shutting the door.

I followed Bella and Alice into the living room and the others followed me.

Charlie—at least I'm assuming that he was Charlie. He was the only one there who was wearing a uniform, a badge and a gun—stood up from a chair as we entered.

Carlisle, Esme and Jasper were sitting on the long couch, and they too stood when Charlie did.

Nessie was kneeling beside a coffee table while drawing on a piece of paper that laid on the coffee table. She glanced at our arrival, but for the most part ignored it while as if this was an everyday occurrence.

Jacob was sitting on the floor next to Nessie. He glanced up at us, but for the most part, his attention was split between us and watching Nessie as she drew.

_Don't fight back, Honey,_ Jasper's voice rang in my head. _I'll be focusing on keeping you calm. Scratch your arm to acknowledge me._

I scratched my arm, and then I noticed that Charlie was giving me an awe look. He then jerked his head down and took a long look at the computer printed picture that he had of me.

_What the hell. First Bella and now Honey Grey,_ Charlie's voice rang in my head. He then glanced at Carlisle, Esme and then back at me. _I'm sure that this is also one of those 'need-to-know' situations that I don't want to ever find out about._

Obviously I no longer look like I did in the picture that he held. Best-case scenario I only resembled the picture, and once he got over that fact, he stepped towards me. My primal mind took hold and I shifted my weight in order to back away from him.

I don't believe that Charlie had seen me shifting my weight or if he did he didn't act like he did.

Edward did though or he had read something in my face, because before I was able to take a step back, Edward's voice rang in my head, _Easy, Honey. He most likely just wants to introduce himself to you with a handshake. _

I focused on stopping myself from backing up, while assuring myself that he's not here to harm me. He reached out his right hand to shake hands, and compared to Nessie earlier, Charlie was moving at a pace much slower than she did. I guess she also has to be careful about not moving too quickly in front of humans.

I extended my right hand towards him while trying to match his speed as best as I could. As our hands grasped each others, his voice rang in my head, _Hard c__old hands like the Cullens. _Hard cold hands? My hands felt fine to me.

"I'm Chef Swan, Ms. Grey," he said as he dropped his hand.

I nodded and then hesitated slightly before I said barely above a whisper, "Chef Swan."

"Ms. Grey, I understand from Carlisle that your car broke down," Charlie told me.

"Yes," I quickly agreed. "The main belt broke."

"When you didn't show up at your college, your parents had put out a missing person report on you," Charlie began. "Why didn't you tell anyone that you were here and safe?"

I took a breath to answer and when I did, Charlie's scent burned my throat and the taste from the scent alone was mouth watering. However, my logical mind was still in control—most likely because of the combined conditions of Bella's ability keeping my logical mind in the forefront, Jasper's ability keeping me tranquil, my desire not to feed on humans and my desire not to have Bella ripping me apart for my failure—and so I took a step back and I covered my nosed as if I had smelled something deeply offensive.

Bella was immediately at Charlie's side, and the others, except for Nessie, had also stepped forward. Jacob was now on his feet and was standing behind Bella.

Almost immediately following my action, Charlie's voice rang in my head, _I showered today and I'm wearing Old Spice cologne. So what's the prob…_

"I'm sorry, but I suddenly got a whiff of that Old Spice that you're wearing," I quickly rattled off for an excuse for my actions while my hand was still covering my nose. Charlie gave me a curious stare and I thought it was over the first half of my excuse.

_Slow your speech, _Edward's and Alice's voices rang in my head.

_You're speaking slightly too fast for a human,_ Alice's voice continued without Edward's. Edward could hear Alice's voice too, and most likely Edward felt that both of them didn't need to tell me.

I concentrated to slow my speech to normal as I continued to say, "I'm allergic to Old Spice cologne, Chief Swan, and… and the aroma of it is enough to trigger it."

"Oh," Charlie verbally answered. _So that's all that was about._ He seemed to have bought my excuse."So I don't aggravate your allergy, I'll keep my distance." I nodded in agreement.

_Nice excuse for your sudden action,_ Edward complimented.

If I wasn't mimicking Bella's shield I would tell Edward 'thanks', but since I was mimicking Bella's shield, I scratched my arm as I did with Jasper. Hopefully he would get the message.

"Anyway, Ms. Grey," Charlie began again. "You have state troopers searching for you. So why didn't you tell anyone where you were?"

I knew what to expect now when it came to smelling humans so I was able to control myself better when I drew in a breath to answer. Unfortunately I had no excuse for his question.

When it was apparent that I didn't have an excuse, Rosalie's voice rang in my head, _Repeat after me. I had bad news to tell my parents…_

"I had bad news to tell my parents, and I didn't know how to begin to tell them, and so I was scare to call them… even to tell them that I was safe and with friends," I repeated what Rosalie had told me. "I'm sorry for the commotion that I had caused, but as you can see, I'm alright."

"Since there is an APB out on you, Ms. Grey, I think I have the right to ask this," Charlie began. "What is the bad news?"

Before Rosalie or someone else had time to give me an excuse I answered, "I've decided to drop my college courses."

"That's the news that was so terrible that you feared telling your parents?" Charlie suspiciously asked.

"If you know my dad you wouldn't ask that question," I answered truthfully. "He's the one who insisted that I take courses that will prepare me for the wonderful world of architecture. He's the architect not me. I don't want to start a 'Grey and Grey Architecture Incorporated' as he envisions for us. I'm a good painter damn it and my talent shouldn't be wasted on drawing lines and circles and rectangles…"

At some point my excuse had turned into a rant. The Cullen family looked at me with bewilderment and slight amusement for the human direction that I took. Charlie didn't allow my rant to go on too long before he quickly interrupted with, "Okay-okay, Ms. Grey. I'm beginning to understand."

"Sorry. And I'm sorry for not telling my parents that I was safe."

Charlie nodded before saying, "Well, your parents was informed a little while ago of your whereabouts and they are traveling up. When they get here I suggest for you to tell them of your desires not to pursue a career as an architect, and no doubt from your earlier… 'rant', telling your parents isn't going to be an easy task." Perceptive chief of police… when he wants to be. "In any case, the APB was cancelled a short time ago, so there won't be any more officers or state troopers searching the area for you."

"Thank you."

Charlie nodded before saying, "Well, I had better get back to the station. Good day, Ms. Grey."

"Good day," I echoed.

Charlie turned towards the Cullens while saying with a slight nod, "Good day."

"Be safe," Carlisle told him.

The others just responded with, "Good day, Charlie."

He nodded and then looked at Bella, "Can you walk me out, Bells."

Crap! I'm certain that my logical mind will walk out the door along with Bella. Bella was concerned of that too and glanced at me apologetically before she answered, "Sure, Dad."

_You can do this without me, Honey,_ Bella's encouraging voice rang in my head.

_You can,_ Edward's agreeing voice rang in my head a split second later.

"Chef Swan," I called before he had a chance to step away. When Bella glanced at me I gave her a grin. "Again I'm really sorry for putting the state on alert."

"I'm just glad that this missing person's case has a happy ending," Charlie said.

"I think it will," I told.

Charlie looked stumped by my 'hint that this case wasn't quite over yet' statement. Within a short time, he shook off his confusion and repeated, "Good day."

He didn't wait for the chorus of goodbyes that came at him before he turned and walked towards the door. Bella was at his side as she walked him out.

Bella was outside before she was out of my range for me to mimic her ability; however, my mind didn't shift towards my primal mind as much as I thought.

"So you paint?" Esme asked me.

I looked at Esme, and at first her simple questioned irritated me, but since I had braced myself for my primal mind to return, I was able to keep my logical mind as being the dominant mind. The Cullens knew that my hesitation to answer was me struggling to keep my primal mind subdued, but to anyone else I might have appeared as though I was carefully considering my answer before I spoke.

I heard a few sighs of relief when I finally said casually, "Yes, sceneries and portraits mainly."

"I would love to see some of your work," Esme responded as if I had never hesitated.

"They're at my parents' house… most of them are anyway. A couple of them are decorating my dad's reception area. I doubt that I can get them to show you."

"We don't have a family painting with Bella and Nessie in it," Carlisle began. "Honey, can I talk you into painting our family portrait?"

"Wouldn't you want to see my work before you offer me that honor," I quickly asked. Exercising my logical mind without Bella spotting me was helping. My primal mind was now only something more than a whisper and was falling more silent as I force myself to stay focus. Painting has always been therapeutic for me too, so I'm thinking—well, more like hoping actually—that painting their family portrait… or anything else for as that matters, would help my primal mind to be quiet even more.

Carlisle drew me out of my thoughts as he answered, "Your earlier conviction of your talents has me willing to go with you without seeing any of your previous work."

"Don't you mean my earlier rant?" I embarrassingly admitted.

"Yes," Carlisle agreed with amused laugh. "But even in your rant you had showed strong convictions of your talents and therefore I would love for you to do our family portrait."

A grin came across my face before I answered, "I accept. I will need supplies though."

"That's no biggie," Alice chimed in with a pleasant grin across her face. "We never need an excuse to go shopping, but it always helps."

I smiled before saying, "I love shopping myself."

Alice's grin turned into a frown before saying, "You can't come with us, Honey; not until…"

"I can go without killing anyone," I again supplied.

"I was going to say when your logical mind, as you put it, rules completely without your primal mind erratically surfacing," Alice explained. "As for any vampire not wanting to kill or drink human blood… well that's a matter of a moral choice that we Cullens have chosen for ourselves and it does take strong self-discipline to maintain that choice even for us."

"Killing is wrong though," Jacob added strongly. It was almost a hiss. "Vampires or not it's wrong."

"We agree with you, Jacob," Edward said. "But there are many vampires who don't."

"I agree with you too, Jacob," I added. "If vampires can live just as well on animal blood, and not kill humans than it's wrong to kill." After all, thou shall not kill.

"It pleases me that you think that," Carlisle told me.

I gasped. Did he read my mind? Edward chuckled and I turned quickly and glowered at him.

Before a growl could escape my lips towards Edward, Edward put up his hands in a surrendering fashion while telling me, "Easy, Honey."

"What happened?" Carlisle quickly asked over the quick-change of atmosphere.

_I didn't mean anything by my laughed, Honey, and I'm sorry for laughing. That was inconsiderate of me, _Edward's voice rang in my head.

My logical mind was still in control… barely, and I closed my eyes and I concentrated on counting to myself. One. Two. Three. Of course Edward could hear me counting. I was no longer sure about anyone else.

"Edward, what's happening?" Esme asked.

"I overreacted… again," I supplied without opening my eyes before Edward could explain.

"Carlisle, you choice of words took Honey by surprise and her response was amusing to me, although I shouldn't have laughed," Edward told the group, except for the last part, which was directed more at me. "Honey, again I'm sorry that I did."

I nodded and then opened my eyes. "It's fine. I overreacted."

"I don't understand," Carlisle said. "What did I say that sparked this?"

"What would you think if I, as a mind-reader, tell you that I like the way you think?" Edward asked Carlisle.

_I would think…_Carlisle's voice rang in my head before he uttered, "Oh! I'm no mind-reader though."

"I sometimes jump to the wrong conclusions," I told him. "Not good to do though… especially when my logical mind is doing a high-wire act with no net."

Carlisle grinned before he said, "Anyway. Honey, I'm glad that you… 'feel'"—I couldn't help but to grinned at his thoughtful choice of words. Of course I wouldn't react wrongly like I had done earlier if he would've chosen the other word—"the same way as we do."

I nodded before saying, "I do."

Jacob sat back down next to Nessie and his movement of doing so had caught my attention. When my attention moved onto Nessie as she drew her picture, a memory of Bella's words had flashed through my head. 'I became pregnant and gave birth to Renesmee before becoming a vampire, just before in fact.' And then Carlisle's words soon followed. 'As a vampire, Bella is only four months old.' Wait, then that would make Nessie…

"Nessie is four months old," Edward answered my unspoken thoughts. "She was born September 10."

"Wow; she looks two years old," I quickly told him, and to how smart she was, I was actually guessing even older.

Edward grinned before saying, "After birth Nessie grew from a newborn baby to her present size within four months. However, her growth rate is slowing over time. We discovered that she would be a seventeen-year-old woman in seven years of her birth and once she reaches that age in seven years, she'll stop aging completely."

How would he know that, unless… "There are more human-vampire hybrids out there, aren't there?"

"We met one other recently and heard about two more," Edward answered.

Suddenly I caught a vivid memory flash from Jacob of the Cullens standing among a large group of vampires who I haven't met and they were standing against a larger group of vampires who I haven't met either. Nessie was in his memory so it wasn't all that long ago.

Edward saw the memory flash too and he quickly ordered, "Jacob, please control your thoughts a little better."

"What?" Jacob and a few others uttered.

"Honey is mimicking my mind-reading ability, Jacob, and you had just showed her a glimpse of our conflict with the Volturis," Edward answered.

"You battled the vampires who take the vampire law seriously?" I quickly asked.

"It was a misunderstanding that got straightened out before it escalated into a full-blown battle," Carlisle answered.

"What was the misunderstanding over?"

Carlisle gestured towards an empty chair while saying, "I know you don't need to, but sit." I nodded before sitting.

**TBC**

**A/N there will be spoilers next chapter. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N I don't know the age cut off of being a child-vampire so, I'm going with the age of fourteen and younger as being a child-vampire. **

The others sat when I did. Suddenly my mind became clearer and less difficult to keep my primal mind in check just before the front door opened. I didn't have to look to know that Bella was walking in.

"You need to know our laws and they're actually short and simple," Carlisle began. Bella stepped in; sat in the floor next to Edward and leaned her head against his legs. "You already know that humans mustn't find out about us." Carlisle glanced over at Bella. "However, two years ago, after Bella came to live in forks, she figured out with the help of Jacob's tribal legends that we well vampires…"

_Those legends turned out to be true though,_ Jacob's voice rang in my head.

Edward and I glanced at Jacob as Carlisle continued to say, "Bella had already fallen in love with Edward by then and so did Edwards towards Bella. So it didn't bothered Bella that we were vampires…"

"Edward had saved my life twice before I learn of them being vampires, and the first time that he did, he risked exposure to himself and his family, so I felt no need to fear him or his family," Bella added.

"Anyway, the Volturis eventually found out that Bella had knowledge of us and so they gave Bella a choice," Carlisle continued. "She either becomes a vampire or she dies…"

"Becoming a vampire was what I wanted anyway before the ultimatum, but Edwards was determined to keep me human even after the ultimatum was given," Bella again interrupted with.

I could see who won out. "Wait! That was what sparked the confusion, wasn't it?"

Alice giggled before commenting, "You really do jump to conclusions, don't you."

I gave Alice a smirk before asking, "Okay, then what did cause the misunderstanding?"

_Excellent, her primal mind didn't raise its head, _Jasper's voice rang in my head. I glanced his way and he wasn't even looking at me. I guess that was just a passing thought.

When I glanced at Jasper, Carlisle had continued with, "Well, actually, the Volturis' march against us had three parts to it. Coming to find out if Bella was still human was definitely one of them. The second part they thought that we had violated one of their major laws, and that is to change a child into a vampire…"

My eyes flashed towards Nessie and I gasped, "Renesmee!" Renesmee looked over at me. I didn't really mean to grab her attention, but since I did, I gave her a pleasant grin before asking, "Who are you drawing your pretty picture for?"

"Mommy and Daddy," she said before facing her picture again.

Renesmee's mind wasn't cluttered with thoughts as her focus was split on listening to us and drawing her picture. Her biggest focus was on her picture though.

I then focused on Carlisle again as he said, "Yes. The Volturis were led to believe that Renesmee was a child vampire and the punishment for such crime was death to the child vampire and the death to the one or ones who change the child; however, they had already planned their battle strategy against us even before an excuse was given…"

"Why?!" I demanded. I only heard of the Volturis through this family and what I knew of them so far, I didn't like, and the thought of any group of vampires rising up against the Cullens was giving strength to my primal mind in spite of Bella's presence.

_Easy, Honey, _Edward's and Jasper's voice rang in my head. No body needed to hear my thoughts to know that I was upset.

I took a couple of unnecessary breaths… well, unnecessary to breathe, but it worked to calm myself. When I felt my primal mind faltering again I said, "I'm good. But this family is no threat to anyone, so why would the Volturis plan a battle against you before having a reason for doing so?"

"Vampire covens rarely grow beyond four vampires, and most of the time its only two to three vampires," Carlisle explained. "The Volturis has the biggest coven and we are the second biggest; although we consider ourselves a family and not a coven."

"And they feel that you will challenge them for power some day," I guessed allowed.

"Exactly," Carlisle confirmed.

"They also only want vampires with abilities," Alice added. "They asked Edward, Bella and I to join their coven, and they weren't too graceful about it when we refused."

"Anyway, Renesmee was only the excuse that they needed to start their campaign," Carlisle said without really giving me the chance to ponder Alice's words. "We were given a few months warning of their plans through Alice's vision. And we knew that they wouldn't stop to listen to us unless we do something to lower their confidence that they can come out of their campaign undamaged, and so we sought out friends that would stand as witnesses…"

In a tone to tease Alice, Bella interrupted with, "Without telling us of their plans, Alice and Jasper went on a mission of their own."

"Until I completed my mission, I couldn't risk Aro finding out," Alice defensively said.

"Meanwhile you left us thinking that you saw our demise within your vision and you fled because you didn't want to be given a choice of death or joining the Volturis," Bella added.

Alice sighed before saying, "Yes, yes, and again I'm sorry, Bella."

Bella grinned before saying, "I know. I just like hearing you apologize for it over and over."

When Alice gave Bella a smirk, I asked, "Who's Aro?"

"He is one of the three leaders of the Volturis," Edward answered. "Marcus and Caius are the other two leaders. Aro and Marcus have abilities as well. Marcus ability is sensing relationships, and Aro's ability is similar to mind-reading; however, like Nessie, Aro has to come into contact of the subject. And not only can Aro see the subject's current thoughts, but he can see every thought that the subject ever had even before becoming a vampire."

I chuckled before saying, "I bet I would shock him if I reversed that on him."

The others laughed too before Alice agreed, "Yes, I would love to see the look on his face if that ever happens."

When the laugher died down, I said, "So I guess that you gathered enough witnesses to make the Volturi to question their own safety."

"Yes," Carlisle agreed. "We called upon the Denali Coven, the Amazonian Coven, the Egyptian Coven, the Irish Coven, the Romanian Coven and the nomad vampires. Although we called upon them only to be witnesses, some had even volunteered to fight with us if it would've gone that far."

"We wolves were there too," Jacob added, not wanting to be counted out.

"Yes," Carlisle quickly agreed. "Both packs stood ready to fight along side us; no matter what the outcome would've been. Anyway, the Volturis brought their entire guard and a large group of witnesses of their own, so we were still outnumbered. But our number was more than they anticipated, and so they were willing to hear us out; however, learning the truth about Nessie meant very little to them…"

"Why?!" I angrily interrupted with. My primal mind raised its head slightly, but everyone saw that my logical mind was still in control.

After seeing that I wasn't going to lose control, Carlisle answered, "The Volturis had never heard of a human-vampire hybrid before and at the time, Nessie was the only human-vampire hybrid who we knew about. So the Volturis viewed Nessie as a threat even though she wasn't a child vampire…"

"The Volturis would've liked to reduce our numbers to a more comfortable level for them too," Bella added.

"Yes, which was actually the third part of their campaign against us," Carlisle said. "However, before they attacked they made the mistake of asking the witnesses from each side of how they felt of the situation, and I said 'mistake' because all of the witnesses… even theirs had agreed with us and not the Volturis. The witnesses' testimonies made it impossible for the Volturis to attack us without themselves looking as being in the wrong, and so the three leaders voted among themselves…"

"During the deliberation, Jane and Alec tried to incapacitate us with their abilities," Bella interrupted with.

"It's a common practice for the Volturis' guards to incapacitate the ones on trial so they can't escape before the deliberation is concluded," Edwards quickly added.

"But I had figured out my shield ability before Jane and Alec even tried to incapacitate us and so their abilities were useless against us," Bella continued.

"Who are Jane and Alec, and what powers do they have?"

"They are the Volturis's two prize high-guards," Alice answered. "Jane has the ability to make anyone feel pain; however, the pain that she causes someone is only an illusion of the mind."

_And Bella can't be affected by illusions of the mind,_ Edward's voice rang in my head.

I glanced his way and gave him a grin as Alice continued to say, "And Alec has the ability to cut off someone's five senses. You could be ripped apart limb from limb and you wouldn't even know it. Jane can only affect one person at a time while Alec could incapacitate an entire group."

"Would I still be able to think or concentrate if Alec would ever do that to me?"

"Sure," Rosalie sarcastically answered. "You get to ponder over if you're being ripped apart or burn where you stand."

"Or I can concentrate on cutting off his senses as well," I countered.

_Could Honey do it?_ Carlisle voice rang in my head.

Edward gave Carlisle a side-glance while asking me, "Could you find Alec to do it?"

"If I can't find Alec to shut him down individually then perhaps I could shut down everyone's senses."

Carlisle shot me a grinned before saying, "Yes, once you truly learn your ability, you'll either be able to level the battle field or help gain the advantage."

A smile came across my face, and after it was quiet after a second, I commented, "So I guess the Volturis voted not to attack."

"Not right away," Carlisle said. "In fact, Marcus was the only one who felt that Nessie wasn't an immediate threat. Caius did though. Caius strongly felt that Nessie was too much of an unknown risk to be allowed to live. He wanted Nessie Dead along with the ones who would dare to protect her."

"So the final vote fell on Aro."

"And he was planning to vote on the side to attack us," Edward told me. "But before he had a chance to verbalize his vote, Alice and Jasper joined us with Kachiri, the last member of the Amazoian Coven; Halilen, a vampire from South America and her nephew, a human-vampire hybrid named Nahuel. Nahuel's father had also fathered two human-vampire hybrid daughters…"

"I'm surprised that Nahuel's mother allowed herself to get pregnant three times."

"She didn't; she couldn't," Roselie quickly told me.

"Why couldn't she?" I quickly asked.

"Honey, none of the mothers have ever survived the act of giving birth to a human-vampire hybrid," Alice told me

I looked confusingly at Bella while uttering, "But Bella…"

"Bella would have died too if I didn't act quickly enough and turned her into a vampire," Edward quickly told me.

"Oh," I could only think to say.

"Anyway," Carlisle began again. "After Aro learned that Nessie wasn't the only human-vampire hybrid in the world, he saw no danger in allowing Nessie to live."

"And then they left peacefully," I guessed.

_More or less, _Rosalie's voice rang in my head.

I shot Rosalie a confused look, and before I could ask, Edward said while glowering at Rosalie, "Not all of the Volturis' witnesses have returned to Italy."

"Italy!" I gasped. "Fabian!"

"Yes," Carlisle told me. "He was one of the Volturis witnesses. In fact, there were several Volturis witnesses who stayed in the area while making a nuisance of themselves. We don't really know the count of them, but including Fabian we had caught and killed five vampires that would feed on humans. And we believe that there are a few more scattered between here and Canada."

"The Volturis didn't leave them behind on purpose did they? In order to help attack your family?"

"No," Carlisle answered. "Most likely, since they agreed with us, they fear that they would be killed if they returned to Italy."

"They're being killed anyway, by the werewolves though," I pointed out.

"True, but they feel that they have a better chance of survival if they stayed in this area," Carlisle said. "Anyway, not exposing our secret that we are vampires to the humans and not turning anyone under the age of fifteen into a vampire are the two laws. Any questions?"

"Will direct sunlight kill me as they show in the TV shows and the movies?"

Everyone amusingly grinned at my question before Carlisle answered, "The myths of vampires are all wrong. We don't sleep in coffins; in fact we don't sleep at all."—I was wondering about sleep—"We are not harmed by garlic, holy items or wooden stakes. We do have reflection,"— I knew about the reflection—"and we are capable of coming out during the day, however, our skin will sparkle in the sunlight and therefore we must hide from the direct sunlight."

"So to actually kill… one of us, the vampire must be ripped apart?"

"Ripping a vampire apart is certainly how you begin to kill one; however, to permanently kill one, you must burn their body parts."

I gasped before saying, "The smoke!"

Everyone gave me a confused look before Asme asked, "What smoke, Honey?"

"After I stupidly locked my keys in the car, I walked towards the smoke that I saw rising above the trees. I thought, 'Where there's smoke, there's fire and where there's fire, there has to be someone who had created it.' And you know what happened after that."

"The smoke that you were heading towards was us destroying a vampire," Emmett said. "We had chased Fabian and his two cohorts from the main area of Forks. We caught one of Fabian's cohort, but Fabian and his second cohort slipped by us."

"So the third vampire is out there?" I quickly asked.

"She is," Carlisle answered. "Alice saw her heading towards Canada."

"I saw this morning that she was in Canada," Alice said.

"Honey, we're sorry that you got tangled up in this," Esme told me.

"It's not this family's fault," I quickly told them. "If I didn't lock my keys in my car then I wouldn't have been out there." I then glanced at Bella. "Beside, with the speed I can now run at, I'm not regretting what happened."

Carlisle slightly laughed before saying, "Yes, Edward had mentioned that you ran high school track."

"You didn't run track in college though?" Jacob asked me.

"I originally wanted to, but I missed the deadline to the tryouts during my college freshman year. My grades had greatly improved when I wasn't running track, which pleased my dad, and so to keep my dad happy with my grades I didn't bother trying out for track last August. I ran for fun and for the exercise each morning though."

"What college year are you in?" Jacob asked.

"I'm a… or 'was' a sophomore."

"And you're what age?" Jacob asked.

"Jacob, it's not polite to ask a woman her age," Bella quickly told him.

"It's fine, I don't mind telling people my age," I assured Bella. "I recently turned twenty on January 1st."

Carlisle grinned as he said, "You're a New Year's baby."

"I am, and I was the third New Year's baby to be born in my hometown."

"Awesome," Alice said.

"So I would like to learn more about you guys," I prompted.

"What do you like to know?" Esme asked.

"Anything and everything that you guys don't mind sharing. This family has been great to me, and I would like to know each and every one of you."

"Okay," Carlisle said before he began.

Carlisle told me his life story in detail, which took about four hours from start to finish. Alice and Rosalie left near the beginning of Carlisle's story and went to the mall for the painting items that I needed. I was going to give them a list of what I needed, but Alice assured me that she knew what to get and so I just allowed Carlisle to tell me his life story.

When Carlisle was done, then Edward told me his story. He didn't leave anything out no matter how small it was, which made Carlisle's detailed life story sound like an overview in comparison. I figured that he was trying to make an amends with me for eavesdropping on my life story when I was burning on the table. Bella didn't know about some of what Edward was saying and she too listened intensely.

When Edward was done, then Jasper told me his story, which I found the coven wars in Mexico fascinating. However, he didn't go into great details with it. He claims that his day-to-day life in Mexico was repeating the same old activities until he got tired of it and left for something different… for something better. Emmett's thoughts were what told me that one of Jasper's duties while working for Maria was killing newborns once their usefulness expired. Edward gave Emmett a glance, but didn't say anything. After all, it was too late to stop him. Apparently Jasper had wanted to leave out the fact that he had helped killed newborns; most likely because I was now one and he didn't want me looking at him in a bad light.

Once Jasper's story advanced back to the United States, he told me how he met Alice and as if on cue, Alice and Rosalie came waltzing through the front door just as Alice's name was being mentioned. Their hands were filled with shopping bags; however, none of it looked like what I needed to paint a portrait with.

Alice had placed my painting items in the garage and before I had a chance to ask about them she informed of that fact. I then glanced at the clock and noticed that Alice and Rosalie had been gone for more than ten hours. They really did like to shop.

As Alice and Rosalie went to put their spoils away, Jasper finished up his story.

Alice and Rosalie came back into the living room as Esme was telling me her life story, which again was in a detailed story. Nessie had crawled into Bella's lap and fell asleep during Esme's story. Nessie's drawing laid on the coffee table. Jacob looked tired too, but he stayed awake while just as interested in hearing the Cullens' stories as I was.

Alice's story was after Esme. She had no memory of her human life, so she had only speculated from the data that she had collected on what her life was like before becoming a vampire. Her life story after becoming a vampire was more detailed, and since Jasper told me detailed things of Alice within his story, Alice ended her story on the day she met Jasper.

Rosalie was next. Her story was more of an overview in comparison to the others and after she was done, Emmett told me his story. Emmett's story was also more of an overview, but it was still more detailed than Rosalie's.

Bella was after Emmett, but since she too was a newborn, she mainly told me a few things of her human life.

Once all the Cullens' stories were completed, Jacob volunteered to tell me his story and the legends of his tribe.

Two hours later, as Jacob was nearing the end of his story, Edward and I both heard voices in our heads.

_I wonder what half-baked excuse Honey will give us for her inexcusable behavior. _A voice harshly rang in my head.

I let out a hissed to that upsetting voice. Jacob stopped what he was telling me, and asked, "Did my story upset you?"

"It wasn't you, Jacob," Edward was the one to answer.

"My dad upset me," I quickly added. It had to have been his words that upset me. I glanced over at the clock, which read 6:20 A.M.

The others had listened more closely to the noises outside, before Asme said, "You're parents are coming."

I nodded while saying, "They are. And I do love my dad, but his fatherhood-ethics remind me too much of a drill sergeant, and I'm definitely not a trooper. So I'm not looking forward to this meeting right now."

_I wonder if the Cullens are up this early,_ another voice rang in my head, my mom I believe.

_Livi, what are you doing way out here?_

I chuckled, and when I received curious looks from everyone, I explained, "My dad's mom is with my parents. My mom's idea no doubt. My dad won't blow his top at me with his mom with him… well, not too badly anyway, which makes me a feel a little better."

"Your grandma calls you Livi?" Edward asked me.

I slightly grinned at that little tidbit that he didn't know about me before I answered, "Since I was born. It's short for Olivia and my grandma's name is Olivia too."

"What are your parents' names?" Esme asked.

"Kenny and Megan."

Alice stood up before saying, "You need a new set of contact lenses, Honey." Alice then reached out her hand for me to take it. "Come with me."

When stood up and took Alice's hand she towed me from the living room to the second floor. When I got out of range of Bella, my primal mind lifted its head, but faltered quickly when I concentrated on keeping it down. Random visions of friends and relatives again flooded my head as well.

Edward explained earlier during his life story that Alice would get blind spots within her visions while being around Jacob, Nessie or any of the other members of the two wolf-packs, and that blind spot was what had caused Edward to think that Bella had committed suicide when Bella was only foolishly cliff-diving. So whatever was causing the blind spots within Alice's vision was keeping me from mimicking Alice's ability as well… or perhaps I just don't know enough people or vampires for me to see around those blind spots when I'm with both Alice and Jacob or Alice and Nessie.

As Alice towed me into the upstairs restroom, I asked, "Does your vision work with only the people of who you know or can you see strangers as well?"

"Randomly I can see strangers, especially when the strangers will be crossing our path or the path of someone I know," Alice answered as she went to the medicine cabinet. "Mainly it's the ones who I have met or have a connection with though who I see. Why do you ask?"

Alice was opening the medicine cabinet as I told her, "Jacob and Nessie only cause you to have a blind spot within the area that they are in, but you continue to have visions outside that blind spot."

"Yeah," Alice cautiously agreed as she picked up a container of brown colored contact lenses from within the medicine cabinet. I saw that she had contact lenses of every color that they make within the cabinet. "What about it?"

"I haven't been mimicking your ability when I'm with you, Jacob and Nessie," I explained just before she handed me the contact lenses. "Or if I have been mimicking your ability then the blind spot that they are causing me is bigger than yours."

"Are you seeing anything right now?"

"I am, but what I'm seeing is faint and can be easily ignored."

"Are you seeing humans or vampires?" Alice asked me.

"Humans. Mainly I'm seeing relatives and my friends… well, old friends along with a few other people that I've seen before, but I don't really know. It's faint though. Does that make any difference?"

Alice grinned before saying, "When I'm around Jacob or even Nessie, the Volturis and the covens that I know about are the only things I can see clearly. Everything else kind of falls dark, or if I do see something other than that, it's very faint."

"So you have trouble seeing humans around Jacob and Nessie," I speculated.

"Actually all of my visions involving humans are normally faint for me, and when I'm around Jacob or Nessie, those visions involving humans pretty much become a blind spot; however, if I focus my attention on a particular human then I can pretty much get enough of a vision to satisfy what I need to know."

"That might be what I'm doing wrong; I'm not focusing on anyone to get a vision."

"And we'll test that theory later," Alice informed me. "Right now, your parents and grandma are just a few seconds at parking their car in font of the house."

"Right," I agreed before I went to open the container that held the contact lenses.

Other than the occasional eye-drops, I never found the need to put anything in my eye, and now for the second time, I was putting contacts in my eyes; not to see better though, but to hide my red eyes from my parents.

Once the contacts were in, Alice pointed out, "Charlie might not have known your true brown eye color, but your parents will. So…"

"This color brown is good actually," I quickly assured Alice.

"That's the color of your natural eye color?"

"Well, not exactly. My brown eye color would get darker or lighter depending on my mood or how tired I was… a trait that I picked up from my mom. Her eye color changes from green to blue and back again depending on her mood. Anyway, this shade of brown is slightly different than any of my other shades, but it's kind of close to my 'I had no sleep at all last night' shade, which got me busted on a few Christmas Eve nights. I was ten before I realized that my eye color was what was snitching on me and not my brothers and sister." Alice just smiled as I continued to say, "Therefore, I will be telling them that I stayed up all night while listening to your family's life stories if they take note of it."

"An easy excuse to remember since it's the truth," Alice said with a grin. "You're parents are getting out of the car, so we bettered get downstairs."

I nodded and then followed Alice out of the restroom and through the hall.

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

Esme was at the door while ready to meet my parent. When I came off the steps I took a step towards her in order to greet my parents as well, but when Esme saw in what direction that I was planning to go, she whispered, "Honey, you look different now." –I clearly heard Esme's whisper as if I was standing inches from her and not across the foyer—"You don't want to shock them right away."

I nodded and then continued to follow Alice into the living room. Everyone was patiently sitting in the living room for Esme to lead my parents and grandma in. Nessie was now awake and was sitting in Edward's lap. Bella was on Edward's right side as Jacob was on his left. Jacob was always next to Nessie.

"Each time I see you, Jacob, you're no more than ten feet from Nessie," I noted. Everyone, but Jacob chuckled. "Am I missing a joke?"

"Sadly no," Edward answered. Jacob lightly elbowed Edward in the side.

"The part as to why I'm hanging out here and around Nessie is a part of the story that I didn't get a chance to finish," Jacob said as the sound of the front door opening was heard. "And I won't be able to explain it to you properly until your parents leave."

Jacob was quieting his mind so whatever the story was, he didn't want me to get it by hearing his thoughts.

As I gave Jacob a curious look, I heard Esme saying, "Welcome, Mr. Grey. Mrs. Grey and Mrs. Grey. My name is Esme Cullen."

_Esme Cullen?_ My grandma's voice rang in my head. I turned and faced the direction of the door while anticipating their arrival _Huh?_

"I'm Kenneth Grey," I heard my dad say before he introduced the others. "My wife Megan and my mother Olivia."

"It's a pleasure meeting all of you," Esme said.

"Given the circumstance of our meeting I can't say the same," I heard my dad telling Esme. He then said almost as an afterthought, "No Offense, Mrs. Cullen."

"None taken," Esme assured him.

"Anyway, can you take us to my daughter?" my dad requested.

"Yes; please come with me," Esme told him.

"So what is it that you and your husband do?" I heard my mom asking, as she, my dad and grandma were following Esme to the living room.

"I'm more of a housewife," Esme answered. "My husband is a doctor."

_Dr. Cullen? _My grandma's voice rang in my head before she asked, "What is your husband's first name?"

"Carlisle," Esme answered just before she led my parents and grandma into the same room that we were in.

Everyone, except for Nessie, stood. Nessie sat on the couch while leaning against one of the couch arms and watched.

"Will…" My mom's voice trailed off as her eyes took in my new appearance. "Honey?"

I gave her a timid grin before saying, "It's me."

_Dr. Carlisle Cullen!! _My grandma's voice rang in my head.

As I look towards my grandma my dad angrily shot at me, "What in hell did you do with yourself?"

"Back off, Kenneth," my grandma quickly ordered. _You definitely don't want to piss off a vampire; even if that vampire's your daughter._

My grandma knew?! Wow! Wait that's great actually. I won't have to hide from my grandma.

Edward couldn't read my thoughts with me mimicking Bella's ability, but he must've seen something on my face and before I could respond to my grandma's thoughts, Edward's voice rang in my head, _You can't confirm what she thinks she knows, Honey._

I shot Edward an annoyed look as my dad echoed my grandma's words, but as a question, "Back off? I'll back off when Honey explains herself."

"Calm down, Sweetie," My mom told my dad. "Honey just had a simple makeover, and she looks amazing."

I shot my mom a pleasant grin as I said, "Thanks, mom."

"Makeover aside, why are you with these people… with these strangers," my dad demanded.

"These people aren't strangers," my grandma quickly said. "I knew Carlisle-s… well I guess he would be his grandfather." I, along with the Cullens, gave my grandma a curious look. "You look just like him, and I see your parents had given you his name."

"You seem to have me at a disadvantage," Carlisle said.

My grandma gave him a smile before she told him, "Yes, I suppose I do. Your grandfather knew me fifty-three years ago as Nurse Olivia Washington."

_Yes, we have met before,_ Carlisle's voice rang in my head.

"I was twenty-two and I had just received my nursing licenses when we met," my grandma continued to say. "After working at the hospital for two months, your grandfather had saved my life."

"He did?" Carlisle genuinely questioned.

"I was living about a mile from the hospital then, and I used to walk home once my shift was over," my grandma began. "I was halfway home one day and… I guess it was a wild dog"—_another vampire actually_—"that caught my scent. At the time I didn't know what it was that was shadowing me and I went to find out. That was when I saw you-r… your grandfather. He was… well he was stopping the dog before the dog could hurt someone."

_I didn't know that I was seen. _Carlisle's voice rang in my head. _She has to know then that it wasn't a dog._

"That's a fascinating story," Carlisle said as he glanced at Edward. Edward gave him a confirming nod. _Edward, does she know about us?_

Edward gave another confirming nod as my dad asked, "Be that as it may, why are you here, Honey? With this family?"

"My car broke down… again," I quickly told him. "And this family came to my aid."

_That doesn't explain how you were turn into a vampire._ My grandma's voice rang in my head.

I glanced at my grandma as I quickly added, "Of course I had to trek across seven to nine inches of snow before I could find someone…"

"You left your car?" my dad demanded to know.

"Well, I accidentally locked my keys in the car when I got out to look underneath the hood. So I took off through the woods towards the smoke that I'd seen rising up and I was hoping that someone was with that smoke. I met Fabian first, who was a real bloodsucker…"

_Stop giving her hints, _Edward's voice quickly rang in my head.

I gave Edward another annoyed glance as I continued to say, "Anyway, after I ran into Fabian, this family came to my aid."

"Honey, do you know how dangerous it is to be wandering in the woods?" my mom quickly asked.

I glanced at Jacob as I answered, "Yes, but I also saw huge paw prints that weren't all that old near where I had pulled the car over and I felt that if those huge animals came back I wasn't any safer."

"Suddenly you're an outdoorswoman," my dad sarcastically said. "You knew how old those paw prints were just by looking at them."

"I knew how old they were because I had also seen a huge pile of shit and I knew it wasn't all that old because of its smell."

"Seth!" I heard Jacob hissed under his breath. The Cullens heard him too, but I don't think my parents or grandma did.

"Why didn't you call for help?" Before I could answer my dad's latest question he answered it himself. "You had locked your cell phone in the car too."

"You know me, dad," I jokingly said.

"Yes, well, why didn't you call us once you where able to," my dad shot back at me.

"Because during all of this… well after actually, I decided that I can't continue taking courses to become an architect…"

"It's not that you can't; it's that you don't want to," my dad shot at me. "And we discussed this already."

"We discussed it?" I angrily echoed.

_Easy, Honey, _the chorus of voices rang in my head from the Cullens.

I was in control though, so I ignored the warnings as I continued to say more calmly, "I tried to discuss it, but you put your foot down as you always do and that was it over any discussion."

"Your choice was some art school in New York," my dad uttered cynically. "Art is good for a hobby, but you need a career."

"Yeah, well, I don't want to be an architect either."

"Honey, you're good at being an architect," my dad pleaded as he moved closer to me. My mom and grandma stepped closer as well.

"The only thing that I know about architecture is what you told me when I was ten," I pointed out.

"And what you understood in a single day took me two weeks to understand," my dad quickly said. "I knew then that you could be a great architect."

"But I don't want to be."

"Well, painting pictures is not a reasonable career path," my dad shot at me.

"I could've become an art teacher," I quickly retorted.

"You would rather live off of a teacher's salary than an architect's salary?" my dad quickly questioned.

"Art is what I love, dad."

"Well, I didn't pay two years of your tuition for you to drop out now."

"I'll pay you back, Dad, somehow, but I'm not returning to campus," I said in a tone as if to make a stand. "I can't."

"If you don't return to campus where you belong then don't you dare come back home."

"Kenneth!" my mom hissed.

"It's fine, mom," I assured her. "My new plans will actually keep me from home anyway."

"What new plans?" my mom quickly asked.

When my grandma saw that I didn't have an immediate reply, she said proudly, "To live her life of course. She's twenty years old. Can't you see she's ready to leave the nest?"

"Mom; Dad, I love you both, but it's time for me to live my life."

"I thought that we were a part of that life," my dad hissed.

"You will always be a part of my life, Dad, even when I'm… who knows where while doing who knows what. I just can't be with you while doing something I hate."

"So suddenly becoming an architect is something you hate," my dad shot at me.

"Not suddenly," I honestly admitted. My dad shot me an angry look. "You love it and that's great. But I'm not you, Dad. And you never pushed Mike, Chelsea, Kevin and Keith into becoming an architect, so why are you with me?"

"They never showed interest in the field as you did."

"I was ten, Dad; I only showed an interest because it was what you did," I retorted. "If you were a policeman, a fireman or a mailman I would have asked the same questions. I didn't care what kind of career you had… I just wanted to learn more about you."

"Instead of telling me that you prefer art over architecture two… three years ago, why didn't you tell me that?" my dad asked.

"I didn't want to disappoint you. And truthfully, you're a hard person to talk to when it comes to stuff like this."

My dad took a deep breath before asking, "So your plan is to drop out and do what?"

"I still want an education, but I'm going to take a year off to discover who I am."

"I've seen what happens when people wait, Honey," my dad said. "They get into a rut or get caught up with what life throws at them and they never go back."

"Dad, I'll go back, but I need sometime to learn about what I want. And what the hell, I could always take online courses until I can decide what that will be."

"If you do this, Honey, you'll do this without my blessing, and without any support from me."

"Yeah, well, it's time to find my way in the world without landmarks pointing me in the wrong direction anyway."

"It's a little late for a teenaged rebellious stage, Honey…"

"This has nothing to do with being rebellious, Dad," I quickly told him. "It's independence… I'm declaring independence."

_Independence? _My dad's voice rang in my head as he glowered at me. _You have always been self-reliant, but what you're asking is to burn your boat after landing on a foreign soil._

"I'm a survivor, dad," I assured him. "I can make it on my own."

My dad finally nodded before saying, "Best of luck, Honey. You are now officially free to pursue whatever life you want."

I gave him a pleasant smile before I told him, "Thank you."

As an afterthought my dad shot at me, "Oh, and don't be showing up at my door some time in the future with a screaming baby, and looking for a place to live."

I chuckled before saying, "That's one promise I have no problem with making and fulfilling."

_Yeah, we'll see_, my dad's skeptical voice rang in my head. _Of course most likely I'll be a sentimental fool and let you in. _He then said, "Just so we're clear, Honey, your independence means just that. You're welcome to call us anytime you want only to stay in touch, but don't expect me to do you any favors or extend you any loans."

"It's clear, Dad," I assured him.

"Yeah, well, we'll see," my dad skeptically said. "Megan, you should probably say bye to your daughter. There's no telling when we'll see her again."

"I promise to call," I assured him as my mom and grandma moved closer.

"You better," my mom told me as she was stepping up.

I stopped breathing so I wouldn't smell my mother's or my grandma's scent. The Cullens stepped closer to me as well; most likely to stop me from hurting one of them in case my primal mind would take control of my actions.

My mom went to hug me and when she touched my skin, she uttered, "My god, Honey, your touch feels as hard and as cold as a marble stone wall."

"Really?" I sincerely asked during the hug. "I haven't noticed."

"You haven't noticed how cold your touch is?" my mom incredulously asked as she broke the hug and looked at me. I just shook my head with a confused expression on my face.

"I'm sure it's nothing, Megan," my grandma said as she went to give me a hug.

As my grandma and I were hugging, my mom asked, "Doesn't she feel cold to you, Olivia?"

"It's winter time, Megan, and Livi's touch has always been cold in the winter," my grandma said as she broke the hug.

"Not like this," my mom quickly said. "Not cold and hard as a marble stone wall."

"Mom, I'm fine," I told her.

My mom skeptically stared at me as her voice rang in my head, _You look tired as well. _

"I feel fine," I added.

"All right." She finally told me before she glanced at Carlisle. "If that changes all of a sudden though then perhaps Dr. Cullen can check you over."

"Of course," Carlisle quickly agreed, which of course he knew that it wasn't really necessary and that he was just trying to appease my mom.

"Megan. Mom, we have a long drive home, so we should get going," my dad said.

"Aren't you going to give your daughter a hug?" my grandma asked my dad.

"It's fine if you don't want to," I assured him. "I know you're not happy with me right now."

_I better or I'll hear from Megan later about it, _my dad's voice rang in my head as he stepped towards me. My dad stepped up and gave me a hug. _You do feel like a marble stone wall._

Once the hug ended, he backed up and said, "Once your… 'independence' phase is over and you decide to come home, I'll allow it on the condition that you go back to college and become an architect."

I grinned before telling him, "Your condition is noted."

He stared skeptically at me for a brief moment before he nodded and turned towards my mom. "Megan. Mom, we should get going."

"Before we get back on the road I actually need to use the little girl's room," my grandma said.

"Come with me," Alice said as she gestured for my grandma to follow.

My grandma followed Alice and when the two left the room, my mom told the Cullens, "You have a lovely home."

"Thank you," Esme said.

"The glass walls are very clean," my mom took note of as she looked closely at them. "Do you hire someone?"

"I clean them, myself," Esme said.

"Wow!" my mom uttered. She then jokingly asked, "I couldn't hire you to do our windows at the office, could I… of course I'm joking."

Esme grinned before saying, "Keeping this house clean does keep me busy."

"I would look ragged and exhausted if I cleaned this house, and you look amazing," my mom told Esme.

"Thanks," Esme responded with a wide smile. "I actually have been doing it for so long that I have a system worked out."

"Still… there would be no way that I could keep up a house like this," my mom said with slight envy in her tone.

"So, Mrs. Grey, what do you do?" Carlisle questioned.

"Call me Megan, and Kenny and I own a small architectural business. I'm the bookkeeper though and not another architect."

"I had planned to grow in a couple of years, but apparently plans changes without warning," my dad grumbled, which the edge of his cutting words was directed at me.

My mom heard the cutting edge to his words too and hissed, "Kenneth!"

My dad could never take disappointments gracefully and by me not becoming his future architect partner was a big disappointment for him.

"Don't Kenneth me!" my dad angrily snapped at my mom, which gave strength to my primal mind.

I snarled, but before a growl could escape my lips, a chorus of voices rang in my head from the Cullens, _Easy. Honey._

I closed my eyes and counted to myself. My dad saw me and slightly hissed, "I thought you felt fine."

I opened my eyes and looked at him before insisting, "I do feel fine, Dad, but I am an adult now, and I must insist that you respect me as such."

"You think that I don't respect you?" he quickly asked me.

"No, you don't," I shot at him. "If I don't believe in your way of life or share your ideas for my future then you think I'm being ridiculous. You should've supported my desire and dream to have gone to art school rather than crushing it as if it was a bug beneath your feet."

"The odds were against you, Honey…"

I didn't allowed my dad to finished before I hissed, "If I had failed then I would've failed on my own terms; not yours."

"I was the one paying your tuition," My dad hissed. I displayed my teeth and a low growl escaped my lips towards my dad.

My dad didn't seem to have noticed, but my mom and the Cullens did.

"Kenneth, you're upsetting your daughter," my mom hissed.

The Cullens moved forward, except for Jacob and Nessie. Jacob stayed behind everyone while Nessie sat quietly on the couch and just watched.

"I'm upsetting her?" my dad echoed.

As my growl was getting louder, Carlisle stepped between my dad and me while saying, "Mr. Grey. Honey. Before anything gets said or done that either of you will regret later, I strongly urge you two to back off."

Carlisle was scared that my primal mind was being fueled by my dad's words and opinions and he was right. I backed up and couple of steps, closed my eyes and counted to myself again to calm down.

"I'll do more then back off," my dad hissed as I was counting to my self. I opened my eyes and looked at him. "I'll be at the car."

I just stared harshly at him as he turned and walked towards the front door.

Once my dad had left the house completely, my mom assured me, "Your dad will think about this later and realize that he was overly harsh with you."

"Sure he will," I said disbelievingly as my grandma and Alice were re-entering the room.

_Where did Kenneth go? _My grandma's voice rang in my head.

I thought my grandma had verbalized it though and I turned towards her and said, "He went to the car." My grandma's expression had turned into an awe.

_She had only thought that_, Edward's voice quickly rang in my head.

"Dad went to the car, I mean," I quickly amended. "In case you were wondering."

My grandma nodded as her voice rang in my head, _Now that's twice you answered my thoughts, Livi._

"He's really mad at me," I continued as if I didn't hear her thoughts. "And I think he's ready to go home."

"Yeah, I guess we should go," my mom said.

"Megan, I would like to talk to Dr. Cullen and his family for a moment," my grandma said. "I'll be out soon."

_What does she want to talk to them about? _my mom's voice rang in my head before she finally nodded. "I'll be at the car."

My grandma waited until my mom was near the front door and out of earshot before she said barely above a whisper, "I didn't want to say this in front of Kenneth and Megan, but I know more about this family than you think, Dr. Cullen." My mom was leaving out the front door as my grandma continued to say, "Now I'm not going to be foolish enough to say what I know about this family out loud in case you have to go to great length to keep your secret…"

"I know that you know who and what we are, Olivia," Carlisle interrupted with. "And it's okay. You won't be harm by us. We consider ourselves vegetarians."

"You eat vegetables?" my grandma confusingly asked. "Is that possible?"

Most of the Cullens grinned as Carlisle amusingly said, "We don't eat vegetables. Being vegetarians is just an inside joke with this family, and it just means that we don't drink human blood. We hunt Elk when we are thirsty."

"Oh!" my grandma uttered as if a thought occurred to her. "That explains all the hunting trips you would go on."

"You're right about us having to keep our secret though," Carlisle said. "Your life won't be in any danger by us, but if the Volturis find out that you have knowledge of vampires then they could and would harm you."

An audible growl escaped my lips over the thought of the Volturis harming my grandma that caught everyone's attention.

"Easy, Honey," the Cullens said.

"Livi?" my grandma questioned as she stared confusingly at me.

When I closed my eyes while trying to keep my primal mind subdued, Jasper said, "Your granddaughter is a newborn vampire, Mrs. Grey. Normally newborns cannot control the primal instincts to kill or reacted offensively to upsetting news."

"She's not attempting to kill me," my grandma said.

I opened my eyes and said without thinking, "Thanks to Bella's ability and her daughter's ability."

"Ability?" my grandma quickly and confusingly asked.

I glanced at Carlisle before I hesitated to say, "Yeah… I probably should've left that part out."

"It's fine, Honey," Esme said with her pleasant smile as she stepped forward. "This doesn't happen with all vampires, but after the transformation from human to vampire an individual vampire could find him or herself with a certain ability."

"What kind of ability," my grandma quickly asked.

Esme gestured towards the appropriate person as she continued to say, "Edward as the ability to read thoughts."

_That's how you knew that I knew, _My grandma voice rang in my head as she glanced at Edward.

Edward slightly nodded as Esme continued to say, "Alice has the ability to see possible futures. Jasper has the ability to control people's emotions. Bella, well she has the ability to block out mental attacks against her and the people around her. Her ability is considered to be a shield. Bella is actually a newborn as well, but she had never acted like it, so her capability of maintaining her logical mind throughout this is also an ability of hers. Bella and Edward's daughter Nessie is a human/vampire hybrid and she as the ability of nonverbal communications. She has to touch you though to speak to you nonverbally. Your granddaughter has an ability as well."

My grandma grinned before asking, "What can you do, Livi?"

"I borrow the abilities around me," I answered.

Esme grinned before saying, "Your granddaughter is a mimic. Whatever the abilities are within her range she has those abilities as well and she loses an ability once the ability falls outside her range."

My grandma glanced at Edward and then back at me before saying, "You can read my mind also then."

I nodded with a slight grin, before saying, "I can. I ignore most of what I hear though. Bella's presence is what is helping me the most. Without her within my range it would be more of a struggle to keep my primal instincts in check."

"So Bella's presence is the only reason why you don't want to harm me?" my grandma asked me.

"May be," I quickly answered. "I don't know for sure, and I don't really want to test that either."

"Normally it takes newborns a year to get where they can control their primal instincts to feed uncontrollably on humans… years even for many vampires," Jasper said. "But it won't take Honey that long. She's already doing an amazing job at controlling it." A pleasant smile came across my face. "In fact, the only time I've notice her losing control is when she gets upset."

"Your dad, right?" my grandma questioned.

I grinned before saying, "And hearing about the Volturis."

"Who are the Volturis?" my grandma asked.

"They can be considered royalty among the vampires, and they are the ones to enforce the laws of our secrecy," Carlisle said.

"Livi, listen to me," my grandma told me in the tone when she wanted me to heed her words. "If the Volturis find out about what I know and come after me, you are not to tangle with them."

"With my mimicking ability, I might be able to handle them in spite of their collective abilities," I told her.

My grandma ignored me and turned towards Carlisle while requesting, "Dr. Cullen, please don't let Livi foolishly tangle with the Volturis."

"I promise that I will do what I can to prevent her from doing so, but if she's anything like certain others I know, doing what I can to stop her and actually stopping her can be two different things," Carlisle said as he glanced at Edward.

"I'll keep watch on you Olivia and if the Volturis learn of what you know then I will see it," Alice said.

"You're the one who can see the future, right?" my grandma asked.

Alice grinned before correcting, "Possible future and I can only see it once a decision has been made, and what I see can change if someone changes his or her mind."

"Fascinating," my grandma asked. "Is there a reason why certain vampires develop certain abilities?"

"It's just a theory of ours, but we believe that an ability is an enhanced trait of the individual," Carlisle said.

My grandma chuckled before saying, "Yes, as to how empathetic Livi could be, I understand why she had developed her mimicking ability."

"Livi was very empathetic?" Esme asked.

"God yes," my grandma quickly confirmed as she glanced at me. "Whoever Livi was interacting with, Livi would, more times than not, mirror the other person's mood, and her mood would change as soon as she would interact with someone else. If she was interacting with a group, she would mirror the mood of the one who she was friends with the most."

"That's interesting," Carlisle said as I mind read a strong vision that Alice was getting.

One of the Volturis' witnesses was approaching the Cullen's house and he will watch my family leave before he continued towards the house. Alice's vision then fell into the blind spot that Jacob and Nessie were causing.

My grandma saw Alice while she was having her vision and asked, "Are you okay?"

"We will be having company soon," Alice said.

"Another vampire?" my grandma questioned.

"Yes," Alice said.

"Who?" Carlisle asked.

"He has never been formally introduced to us before, but he does know about us," Alice said.

"That's my cue to leave," my grandma said. "Livi, when you are capable of doing so I would like you to visit me."

I shot my grandma a smile before I said, "I will. And I'll walk you to the door."

"That would be great," she said.

Esme and Carlisle walked with us to the door; most likely in case my primal mind would takeover without warning. I felt as though I was in full control so I had mix feeling about them walking with us. I didn't want anything to happen to my grandma, so the 'better safe than sorry' won out and I didn't object to it.

Once we were at the front door, my grandma gave me a hug. When the hug ended, she said, "Take care of yourself, Livi."

"I will." I assured her.

She then nodded, opened the door and then left. I followed my grandma out and stopped just outside the door. When my parents glanced my way, I waved to them. They waved back. My dad waved back most likely out of politeness and to show that he could be civil.

Esme and Carlisle joined me just outside the door and we watched as my grandma climbed into my dad's car. Seconds later, my dad drove off.

Esme, Carlisle and I stood at the door and watched as my human family drove out of sight.

A moment later, the sound of movement within the trees caught our attentions and when we turned to look he came into view.

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 6

The approaching vampire looked to be in his mid to late twenties, but of course being that he was a vampire there was no telling how old he really was. And of course like with all vampires he was very hansom. Fabian's beauty had frightened me a little, but it was just the opposite with this new arrival. In fact, I found myself wanting to know him a lot better.

Edward, Bella, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper came to the door. Esme, Carlisle and I moved further from the door to allow the others to step out.

"I come in piece," the man told us in his Italian accent as he continued to step closer.

"Who are you?" Carlisle asked.

"My name is Deangelo."

"What can we do for you, Deangelo?" Carlisle asked.

"Like you I would like to make Forks my home," Deangelo began. "I fear that the wolves will make that impossible for me though. I know that you're friends with them, so can you speak to them in my behalf."

Jacob had stepped up to the door with Nessie in his arms as Carlisle was saying, "We are friends with the wolves because we prove to them that we don't and we won't feed on humans. How do you feel about giving up human blood?"

"I'll do it. I give up human blood," Deangelo proclaimed.

"It's not that simple just to say that you will give up human blood," Jasper said. "It will take will power."

"I realize that," Deangelo quickly said. "In fact, I imagine that it will be similar as being a recovering drug addict, and I'm willing to put in those meetings."

"There are no meetings per se, but if you are serious about giving up human blood, we will be your support group," Carlisle said.

"I'm serious," Deangelo said.

"For how long have you been a vampire?" Esme asked.

"Two years ago," Deangelo said. I then caught a very vivid memory flash of him being a police officer in some Italian city. He was bitten by a woman who he was arresting. He was able to escape the woman, but not before receiving a dose of her venom. "And if it makes any difference the people I fed on were criminals."

"It doesn't," Jacob responded from the doorway. "For us wolves to leave you alone, you must give up human blood completely."

"You are one of those wolves," Deangelo said almost as a questioned.

"I am. My name is Jacob."

"Jacob, I always had good will power at staying away from temptation as a human and I find it just as easy to resist temptation as a vampire, so I'm confident that I can restrain myself from feeding on humans, which actually brings me to the question; what does this coven feed on?"

"We're not a coven," Esme quickly corrected in a tone as if she took an offence to his question. "We are a family."

"I didn't mean to offend," Deangelo said.

"Esme can be sensitive at the term," Carlisle explained. "And to answer your question, we feed on large animals in the area; such as Elk, dear, bear, mountain lion and whatever other large animals that we can find."

"Okay, consider that Elk, dear, bear and mountain lion to be my source of blood for now on," Deangelo announced.

"If I or any of the other wolves catch you feeding on any human, criminal or model citizen alike, then consider yourself marked for death," Jacob began. "Until then, I'll pass the word that you should be treated as one of the Cullens."

"I accept those terms," Deangelo said.

"Okay," Jacob said as he stepped outside with Nessie. He then handed Nessie to Edward.

When Jacob went to pull of his shirt, I quickly asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm preparing to wolf out," Jacob said as he tossed his shirt on the porch. He then went to pull off his pants.

Rosalie, Alice, Bella and Esme turned away from Jacob as he pulled off his pants. I just crossed my arms across my chest and watched. As soon as his pants came off, he took off running across the yard and within a few feet from the house, he leaped head first into the air. He then transformed into one of those large wolves that ripped Fabian apart within seconds. Seconds after that he had disappeared into the woods.

Once Jacob was gone, Carlisle said, "I should introduce everyone to you." He then gestured to the appropriate person. "My wife Esme. Emmett and his wife Rosalie. Jasper and his wife Alice. Edward, his wife Bella and their daughter Renesmee. Honey and as you know already, the wolf is Jacob."

"It's finally good to put faces to your names," Deangelo said.

"You heard of us?" Esme asked.

"With the exception of Honey, a name of an individual wolf and the name of the daughter, I heard of all of you," Deangelo said. "Edward is probably probing my thoughts as we speak to figure out how sincere I am and Alice is probably peeking into my future for the same thing. I am sincere of my word though."

"Your intentions are sincere," Edward corrected. "But giving up human blood must be a life time commitment."

"And it will be," Deangelo vowed. "I will view human blood as a drug and I'm the drug addict who wants to get better."

"Then we welcome you into our home," Carlisle said before gesturing towards the door. "Come."

As everyone was entering the house, Deangelo asked, "Honey, how is it that I never heard of you?"

"I'm a newborn," I simply answered.

"Honey just recently came to us," Carlisle added.

"Carlisle, how is it that the newborns around you seem to be more lucid than the newborns not from this region?" Deangelo asked as we were entering the living room.

"Staying lucid is actually one of Bella's ability and as for Honey, she's actually a mimic," Carlisle explained.

_I need to go potty, _Nessie's voice rang in my head at the same time Carlisle was explaining to Deangelo. That voice was for Edward though.

When Edward put Nessie down she hurried off to the bathroom.

"A mimic?" Deangelo questioned as he looked at me.

"I borrow the abilities around me," I supplied. "As long as Bella is close to me then I'm lucid too."

"With the help of Bella and Renesmee, Honey will be shooting pass her newborn stage," Alice added.

_Do you borrow abilities one at a time or all of them at once? _Deangelo's testing voice rang in my head.

I shot him a grin before telling him, "All at once, Officer."

Edward chuckled as everyone else gave me a curious look. Deangelo grinned before he accusingly said, "You saw my thoughts earlier, as to how I was turned."

I continued to grin as I confessed, "I did and you have a great memory."

"A photographic memory," Deangelo proudly said. "And it seemed to have sharpened a lot since I was turned."

"Your memory and your will power over temptation are you abilities," I informed him.

"I don't believe that those can be considered abilities," Deangelo said.

"I do, because I'm mimicking them," I quickly told him. "Or at least I am with your memory ability. I'm now remembering things from my childhood that I had long forgotten, and they are very clear to me right now."

"Interesting," Carlisle said just before Deangelo's future flashed in my head of him and I getting romantically involved.

Alice received a similar flash at the same moment I did and so I caught the fine points of our future relationship from her thoughts as well; more so in fact. From seeing Alice's thoughts, I know that Deangelo and I will help each other to refrain from feeding off of humans. Alice and I were both quiet long enough to draw everyone's curiosity.

"Alice? Honey?" Rosalie questioned.

"Alice and I had the same vision," I said before Alice could say anything. Edward had seen it too from after reading Alice's thoughts. I glanced at him as I continued to say, "But… I shouldn't say what it was though."

"Honey is being modest," Edward said. I glowered at him as he continued to say, "Honey and Deangelo will support each other in their determination to be vegetarians."

_Vegetarians?_ Deangelo's voice rang in my head.

"Vegetarians are what we call vampires who feed solely on animal blood," Edward answered Deangelo's unspoken question.

"An interesting term," Deangelo said. He then flashed me a grinned. "And the thought of you and me supporting each other, Honey, is a nice idea."

I couldn't stop a grin from coming across my face before I told him, "I've definitely heard worse ideas."

Esme smiled at me before her voice rang in my head, _You and Deangelo would make a fine couple if that is where you two are heading, Honey._

I only answered Esme with a nod and a grin.

Deangelo saw my actions and asked, "You two are not nonverbally talking about me, would you two be?"

"It's nothing bad," I assured Deangelo.

"If it's nothing bad then you can tell me what was being communicated," Deangelo prompted.

When I failed to answer immediately, Edward said, "Esme is a romantic at heart and she is hoping for a romantic future between you and Honey."

I again glowered at Edward as I said, "Deangelo, I'm not throwing myself at you," –I turned to face Deangelo—"but a romantic future between us is the vision that Alice and I saw. I didn't want to tell you because… well to be honest I liked the thought of it and I didn't want to jinx it."

Without saying a word or giving his thoughts away, Deangelo stepped up to me and pressed his lips against mine. It was a good thing that I no longer needed air to breath or I would have passed out from our long and passionate kiss. Carlisle had cleared his throat just as the random visions that I was getting had quit, so I assumed Nessie must have re-entered the room. I immediately pulled back to end the kiss.

Once the kiss ended, Deangelo said, "I too like the thought of us having a romantic future together and I don't think you can jinx it if you tried."

I just stood as a statue while staring delightfully into Deangelo's almost black eyes. Suddenly a thought occurred to me. "When was the last time you drank?!"

"It's been a while… longer than I have ever went actually," Deangelo admitted. "My will power over my temptation is the only reason I haven't fed off of any humans in this region."

"We better get you fed before your will power fails you," Carlisle said.

"I'll take him," Edward volunteered.

"Actually, you, Bella and Alice should stay here and test the range of Honey's mimicking ability. Esme and I need to drink anyway, so we'll take Deangelo with us." Edward just nodded in agreement. "Come, Deangelo."

"Hurry back," I said while staring delightfully at Deangelo.

Deangelo shot me a pleasant smile before he followed Carlisle and Esme towards the door.

Once Carlisle, Esme and Deangelo were outside, Edward gestured towards the door while saying let's go outside to test the range of your ability."

"Can I come too?" Nessie asked.

"Of course, Sweetie," Bella answered.

Edward, Bella, Nessie, Jasper, Alice, Emmett, Rosalie and I left the house.

Once we were outside, Edward pointed to a spot twenty feet from the front door before saying, "Stand right there, Honey. I'm going to walk away from you and I want you to tell me when you can no longer hear anyone's thoughts."

As I stood on the spot that I was told, Edward slowly walked towards the woods. As to how slow he stepped he must have felt like he was moving at a turtle's pace. The others just stood near me while allowing their trivial and somewhat annoying thoughts to flow freely. I was somewhat glad, when Edward stepped out of range.

"Stop walking," I quickly called out loudly to Edward.

Edward slightly chuckled before saying, "You don't have to speak so loudly, Honey. I can hear you if you talk normally." Which was obvious since he was talking normally and I clearly heard every word he said. "Anyway, I'm good at judging distance, and you look to be about forty yards away from me."

"I'm also good with judging distance and I agree with you," I added.

"Yesterday I was less than forty feet away from Honey when I was in the hallway," Alice said

"No, but you were behind a wall," Edward told Alice as he moved toward us again, which cause my mind reading ability to start up again. "We'll need to learn the range of your ability, Honey, with a wall between you and me."

"Sounds good." I remained standing and watched as Edward passed me and entered the house. Seconds after the door was shut, I stopped mimicking Edward's ability. "Stop walking."

"I'm four feet from the door," Edward informed us. "Honey, step closer to the door and let's see if by you being closer to the door makes any difference."

I slowly walked towards the door and it wasn't until I was three feet from the door, when I began reading everyone's thoughts again.

I stopped walking and asked, "Are you still four feet from the door, Edward?"

"I haven't moved," Edward said.

"I had to step three feet to the door before I mimic your ability again." Suddenly I wasn't mimicking it. "And now I'm not."

"I took one step away from the door," Edward said. "I want you to take one step towards the door."

When I took that step forward I again began to mimic Edward's ability. "It worked. I'm mimicking your ability again."

A second later, Edward opened the front door and as he was stepping out, he said, "Okay, from what I can tell, you'll stop mimicking our ability when we are beyond three feet from the wall or door. However, you'll still mimic our ability if we are within seven feet of you regardless of a wall or door being between us."

"That's good to know," I could only think to say.

"I know it would be impossible around certain vampires, but try to keep that tidbit to yourself as much as possible," Jasper told me. "That tidbit is your Achilles' heel, and Jane, Alec and a few other vampires won't hesitate to use that knowledge to their advantage."

I nodded before saying, "Yes, thanks for the advice." Jasper just nodded. "Anyway, what is there to do around here?"

"What do you want to do?" Emmett asked.

"Something other than standing around like a statue. I don't really care."

"Are you up for that race?" Edward asked me.

I grinned while saying "I am."

"Alright," Emmett uttered while smacking his hands together.

"Let's map out the course before we start," Edward said. When I nodded, Edward continued to say, "Follow me."

Everyone of us then followed Edward.

**A/N That's it for this story, but I have a story plot in my head for a sequel. However, I'm going to write more on my Buffy story first before I write the sequel. **


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